


Manjuu Magic II (import from ff.net)

by moor



Category: Saiunkoku Monogatari
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humour, PWP, Parody, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 12:41:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17162180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moor/pseuds/moor
Summary: Shuurei x Kijin, Shuurei x Ryuuki. Sequel to Manjuu Magic. The Precepts are up to their old tricks again, trying to get Ryuuki and Shuurei to give them an heir to spoil. But what's this? Kijin and Shuurei are together? Oh no! Do your best, Ryuuki!





	Manjuu Magic II (import from ff.net)

Title:  **Manjuu Magic II: Sweetest Dreams**  
Category: Anime/Manga » Saiunkoku Monogatari  
Author: moor  
Language: English, Rating: Rated: T  
Genre: Humor/Romance  
Published: 10-06-07, Updated: 01-26-14  
Chapters: 12, Words: 22,465

* * *

**Chapter 1: Chapter 1**

* * *

**Story Title: Sweetest Dreams  
Chapter: Prologue  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 1300 words  
Genre: General/Comedy/Romance/PWP  
Rating: I'll say T  
Fandom: Saiunkoku Monogatari  
Summary: **A sequel to "Manjuu Magic."Shuurei x Kijin, Shuurei x Ryuuki.  
 **Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Saiunkoku Monogatari".**  


* * *

 

Shuurei felt the weight on the back of her shoulders, neck and head lift as Shusui removed the ornate headdress and accessories from her hair that summer evening. She sat on an elegant cushioned stool, her maid behind her dutifully tending to her end of day toiletry. Her hair, heavy and damp from the humidity, flopped down against her back as more pins were loosened. As much as she would have enjoyed having someone else brush her hair out for her, Shuurei didn't feel comfortable asking something so trivial of someone who'd become such a close friend. Kourin was biding her time on a nearby settee, practicing her embroidery. Finally, the last awkward piece of the headdress was settled on its resting block on the side table.

"Are you sure?" asked the lovely blue-eyed woman, when the head consort waved her away in the mirror.

"Please, go have a rest! I can do this much myself. You know I wasn't raised to be such a useless noble," returned Shuurei with a reassuring grin.

Shusui nodded, and motioned to Kourin to follow her out.

"Enjoy your night then, Consort Kou…" Shuurei didn't miss the teasing glint to Shusui's eyes when the elder woman closed the door behind her. Kourin at least had the good graces not to chuckle too loudly. Instead, she blushed and hid her cheeks behind her yellow sleeve as the two women ducked out.

"One of these days, I swear, mocking my efforts…" muttered Shuurei under her breath, ripping her comb through her hair roughly. In spite of her best efforts, her cheeks burned at what Shusui had been implying. Again. "As if we'd really…"

Her lips tightened into a stiff, thin line as her whole head went crimson as her namesake; she was remembering waking up next to the Emperor a few mornings prior, his sleeping robes loosened and open, unveiling to her part of his pale upper body.

When she'd first met him, she'd assumed him lazy, possibly aloof, or spoiled. She'd even gone so far as to assume he'd never completed a day's hard physical work in his pampered life. He was undisciplined, and she had almost wondered if he was weak. Then he'd shown more of himself… Spoken with her. Protected her. Proven he had a backbone by asking she call him by his name instead of simply addressing him as 'the Emperor'. He'd shown how adept he was with a sword, and how determined and perceptive he was with his studies. She'd been so quick to judge, and angry at being deceived. Yet even she had to admit she admired him now, to some degree, with how far he'd come as Emperor.

"Ryuuki," she said to herself softly in the empty room, reminding herself of who he was as a man, beyond just his position and status to the people of his country.

Since that moment with the Sages and the 'manjuu scandal', she'd seen him show admirable intelligence and knowledge; in fact, she was almost certain now that he had been fully aware of what the Precepts were trying to do to the two of them with that ploy, and he had played dumb and just caused havoc instead—much to the old men's irritation. He had protected her, in his own way. This sentiment was reassuring, as she was certain the old codgers hadn't given up on their plans just yet. She grit her teeth at the memory of the men's meddling, and her mouth tightened in a line.

"Shou Taishi, I won't lose!" The memory of the feisty schemer-and Sou Taifu dangling his horribly mis-shapen, three-tailed, hand-knitted baby sleeper behind Shou in an effort to 'entice' her to have a child and provide the Emperor an heir- burned her still. It also provoked her to check her teas and food for …'stimulants' of a certain nature. She'd missed the mark only once – and it had led to a very uncomfortable night for both she and the Emperor. Especially the Emperor, as she'd locked him outside and nailed her doors shut. Even Seiran had laughed at her the next day when she'd pried the doors open again and faced everyone with bloodshot eyes and demanded he burn every ounce of tea in her suite. Shusui had just played along and had left a pillow and blanket outside the door to the apartment the next night, in case the incident repeated itself.

She and Ryuuki had resolved things the next day (at least as far as she could bring herself to say – which wasn't much, but Ryuuki seemed to accept her awkward explanation), but it still made her uneasy at times, and it had been a full week before she'd let him sleep in her room again. He had taken to sleeping with an arm over her almost every night since. The normally energetic young woman gave up fighting him and his wayward appendage after that. At least he slept peacefully that way. She wasn't strong enough to move his surprisingly muscled arm when she was exhausted anyway. Her cheeks reddened again as she looked down.  _It's not all bad to be held close to someone while you both sleep, either…_

And that morning, when she'd woken beside him and his robes had slipped open to allow her to peek –and then stare—at him, she had realized he wasn't lazy by any measure… at least not physically, going by how well defined his torso had looked. She'd had to catch her breath and stop herself when she'd seen her own hand reach out to touch him, to trace the perfect lines of the lean muscles. No, definitely not lazy…

Shuurei's comb cracked, then snapped in her tense grip, and she sighed in frustration before picking up a new one. She hadn't realized how distracted she'd been. And now she had wasted a perfectly good comb. She automatically started calculating how many jobs she'd need to line up to afford a new one before reminding herself all she had to do was ask.

Ask  _him_.

"Two nights playing at the tavern, one if it's a non-work day…" Shuurei grumbled to herself, and went back to planning out the jobs.

The young woman looked out her window and reflected on the position of the setting sun, the colourful sky a distraction, calming her agitated brush strokes.  _He'll be here soon…_

All was as the intelligent consort wanted it and she mentally inspected her quarters in the palace harem; her tea set was ready (and sex-inducing-herb-free), her erhu rested near the bed, and she'd already barricaded shut her private kitchen (an area of her living space also declared to be 'Ryuuki-made-manjuu-free'—just in case—following something Seiran had mentioned recently). All was safe.

Semi-hypnotised by the repetitive motions of her comb through her long hair, Shuurei mulled over what story she'd tell the Emperor that night. She'd just come to one she thought he'd enjoy (and that would save her from repeating Bara Hime again), when there was a polite knock at her door.

"Consort Kou, there is a letter for you from the Three Preceipts. May I leave it for you here?" asked the servant, knowing he was not permitted to enter her quarters. "Also, there have been predictions of bad weather brewing – could you please collect it before you retire for the evening?"

"Thank you, you've been most helpful," she replied, and went to answer when she'd heard him depart.

She opened the door to her dwelling in the harem and brought the letter in, settling in beside a delicate lamp as she read the summons.

_Consort Kou,_

_Please join us for a cup of tea tomorrow afternoon in the east gardens. We have missed your esteemed patronage and wish to enjoy some of your remaining time together._

_We will send an escort for you, should your memory be remiss and you fail to show up._

_Sincerely,_

_Shou Taishi, Sou Taifu, Sa Taihou_

Her good mood evaporated, and she grit her teeth. The imperial meddlers were up to something again.

She clenched the letter in her noble fist and her eyes shone.

" _I will not lose!"_  she roared, fierce as a lion.

In the garden outside her residence, Seiran heard his lady's vow and sighed. The Sages must be causing trouble again…

* * *

 

AN: Thank you so much to co-author and beta, SnowKae! She has been a phenomenal help with getting this story up off the ground!  
AN: Thank you for reading – and please give a shout out to SK (above) for all her help, too!  
AN: Originally posted October 06, 2007.  
AN: Please forgive me, but for now this will remain a 'test fic'. I'm not sure how far I'll continue it, or how often it will update.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Chapter 2**

* * *

**Story Title: Sweetest Dreams  
Chapter: 01  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 600 words  
Genre: General/Comedy/PWP  
Rating: I'll say T  
Fandom: Saiunkoku Monogatari  
Summary: **A sequel to "Manjuu Magic."Shuurei x Kijin, Shuurei x Ryuuki.  
 **Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Saiunkoku Monogatari".**  
AN: I hope you enjoy this sequel, thank you for reading!

* * *

 

Kouyuu looked up from his desk to see the idiot Emperor staring off into space again. He did have a pile of documents organized and completed and set to one side of him – but hadn't made as much progress as Kouyuu would have liked on the other half-dozen piles on his other side.

"Oy! We need to finish authorizing these requests before we can go home to eat! Wake up!" he shouted at the absent-minded younger man. He hurled a book at his fearless leader's head.

Ryuuki startled when the projectile connected, and righted himself a moment later; stamping papers willy-nilly, he ignored the bruise forming on his temple. "Of course, of course. You're right, Let's get these done so We can go to … sleep…" A benign smile blossomed on his regal face. Kouyuu's expression soured further.

"Sometimes I think they never should have let her in…" grumbled the surly official as he pushed the sleeves of his green robe up again and got back to work.  _But if they hadn't, that emperor wouldn't even be making this meager effort…_

Screaming and tearing at his hair at the injustice of the situation, Kouyuu begged the spirits for guidance. (For their part, the spirits merely watched and laughed. Kouyuu would never know that the spirits had decided to (again) double the time it would take him to get home, if only to annoy Reishin.)

Meanwhile, Ryuuki's eyes glassed over and he went back to staring at the ceiling, pondering the evening ahead of him. And her words. Her words most of all.  _Will she tell Us tonight what We want to hear her say?_ He knew he wanted to hear her say more than a bedtime story to him. But how to get her to say it? Sometimes it drove him to despair.

"Oy!" Kouyuu was examining some of the work his esteemed superior had 'carefully finished assessing.' He looked at Ryuuki murderously. "You stamped this paper three times—and you used the wrong stamp! AND it's upside down! Why am I cursed to work for such a thoughtless idiot?!"

 _Really, he's starting to sound more like Reishin every day_. The Emperor ignored his subordinate's rantings and wondered if he could pick the lock Shuurei had placed on her kitchens.

"You could really use a manjuu," he said off hand to Kouyuu, remembering his beloved Consort's reaction to the pastries he'd baked before. In his mind, Kouyuu could really use a release of some sort for all his tension.

"DIDN'T I JUST SAY WE CAN'T GO HOME TO EAT UNTIL YOU FINISH YOUR WORK?!" Kouyuu banged his head down on his desk in frustration. "Did someone drop you on your head today, your Highness?"

Ryuuki sighed again and picked up his brush to smooth out the ink for his next round of paperwork.

As Kouyuu banged his own head a few more times on his desk for good measure, the irate administrator distinctly heard the young emperor mumble under his breath.

"…sadistic slavedriver…unhealthy work ethic…worse than …" (The last bit was mumbled too quietly for Kouyuu to hear, but he was sure it rhymed with 'Reishin'.)

Pausing outside the door to the office after his patrol by Shuurei's quarters, Seiran smiled to himself and shook his head, sympathizing with both parties inside.

* * *

 

AN: Thank you so much to co-author and beta, SnowKae! She has been a phenomenal help with getting this story up off the ground! (With the plotting of the future chapters and character histories, too. She's amazing with SaiMono!)  
AN: Thank you for reading – and please give a shout out to SK (above) for all her help, too!  
AN: Still a test-fic.  
AN: If you have a chance, please R&R with concrit, I'd really appreciate it!

* * *

**Chapter 3: Chapter 3**

* * *

**Story Title: Sweetest Dreams  
Chapter: 02  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 1600 words  
Genre: General/Comedy/PWP  
Rating: I'll say T  
Fandom: Saiunkoku Monogatari  
Summary: **A sequel to "Manjuu Magic."Shuurei x Kijin, Shuurei x Ryuuki.  
 **Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Saiunkoku Monogatari".**  
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER! I am making this story slightly-AU in its timeline : In this story, Shuurei had her job at Kijin's department prior to taking her position in the harem. (Please, go with it?)  
AN: I hope you enjoy this sequel, thank you for reading!

* * *

"Was your day demanding?" asked Ryuuki cautiously when he arrived in Shuurei's sitting room that night. There seemed to be some kind of offering on her altar, or rather, the smoldered remains of an offering. Her cheeks were still faintly flushed, and she laughed pleasantly— or was it hollowly? — at his concern.

 

"It was a wonderful evening, your highness," she lied. "But I'm sure you've had a long day. Would you like a song?"

The elegant young man shook his head and smiled despite his exhaustion. "No, thank you, We're quite tired. Come to bed." However, Ryuuki could not help but be concerned at her fatigued demeanor, and resolved to kept an eye out for the cause.

Resigned to her usual evening fate, Shuurei stifled her anxiety and put away her erhu with care before joining the emperor in the large bed of her bedroom. The bad weather the page had warned her about earlier that evening had rolled in and was now playing a faint rhythm on the roof of her apartment. She did her best to ignore it and settled in on her back beside him, a half-body's distance between them. She added a number of weights, extra pillows, and an ugly stone statue for good measure, to try and cement the division. Ruby eyes glared at the young man accusingly.

An imperial eyebrow twitched at the intruder in their bed, but otherwise ignored the obstacle.

"The rain sounds nice, doesn't it?" he murmured, staring at the ceiling as if he could see the stars peeking through the rain clouds in the sky above.

"Mmm…" she agreed, and somehow with him there that night, it did seem soothing. They lay there listening together, and soon Shuurei's eyelids began to droop as her breathing evened out.

"Shuurei?" asked her 'husband' softly. She gave no reply.

It was time to get to work.

Cat-quiet, he carefully lifted the blankets and slipped from beneath the covers, padding over to the sitting room. The statue kept the blankets from shifting and disturbing Shuurei, luckily. As he started his usual inspection of her quarters, he found something strange lying on the ground, a clue to her earlier mood's instigation: a ribbon used for binding messages and scrolls. Looking closer, he recognized the unique pattern of it as being from the Three Precepts; and a priority-sent missive.

As if a light had turned on in Ryuuki's head, Shuurei's odd mood when he'd arrived that night seemed less odd… and more understandable.

Suddenly he remembered the mysterious charred offering on the altar- and realized she'd burned the message in guise of honouring her ancestors; it may not have been an entirely false impression that she had folded the paper to resemble the Sages and thus burned them in effigy. The tight look on her face as she would have done so struck a chord of sympathy with him.

His long hair tied loosely behind him and his sleeping robe pulled close, Ryuuki searched all around the altar for any sign of loose paper or debris. After several minutes, he uncovered a blackened, torn paper.

_…'enjoy some of your remaining time together'…_

'  _ **you fail**_ _…'_

The rest of the message was completely burned away. The edges of the fragile scrap of paper crumbled in his hands, and he pulled a few nearby items from Shuurei's table to preserve it. After carefully placing the clue between two loose sheets of writing paper, he stuffed the meager scrap between the book's covers for safe keeping and tried to figure out what the message meant.

As was to be expected of the young emperor by now, he immediately jumped to conclusions. Had Shuurei been awake, she would have recognized the words 'Emperor-in-overreaction-mode' stamped blatantly across Ryuuki's horror-struck face; and had Shuurei been awake, she would have instantly moved to his side to soothe and 'gently' guide his thoughts off the wayward path. But alas- Shuurei was not awake.

And so, poor Ryuuki toppled stupefied onto his imperial rear, a hand held to his head.

' _Fail'? The Sages thought Shuurei had failed at turning him into a good emperor? But she'd succeeded, hadn't she?_ His thoughts spun rapidly off on a tangent, as the words replayed over and over in his head.

Digging out the scroll, he read again… ' _Enjoy your remaining time together_ '. But, but, but—surely her contract couldn't be up yet?!

He ignored the panicking thuds of his heart and furrowed his brow as he reconsidered – how long Shuurei had been residing in the palace harem? – and realized that she could, indeed, be finishing within the next few months. The mere notion of it was devastating, and started shaking his head in denial.

His thoughts rushed on, unrelenting.  _Wasn't he showing the Court and the Precepts how much he needed her, how well he was succeeding in his responsibilities now that she was there to guide him? How was he supposed to be a better emperor if she were to leave?_   _How could they_ make _her leave him?_

…Would the Court and Precepts still believe in him if she left, if he lost his way…?

Everyone could see the change in him, it should have been obvious, he thought. He was becoming a good Emperor—all through her confidence in him and influence. He was doing his best, was focused and listening to his advisors. And he hadn't even fired Kouyuu or Reishin yet for their hissy fits – surely that  _had_  to be worthy of the Grand Guardians' praise!

It was then that he remembered something vitally important, something he'd enforced since the Meddlers Three had built those additions onto Shuurei's apartments without his approval just a little while ago: this was  _his_  harem. The Emperor's domain. It was for  _his_  pleasure only– the Sages had no jurisdiction here. (And they were certainly banned from construction- and hiring!) They couldn't just order (his) Shuurei out…

…could they?

His confidence wavered. He had thought they couldn't do anything (else) to his harem. So why were they saying that she should enjoy the rest of her time? Why was she leaving? How could he get her to stay?

"Nnnnnggg!" he half-moaned, half-yelled, running his hands through his hair in frustration.

"… Ryuuki? Is something wrong?..." Shuurei's sleepy voice called to him from her bed as she rubbed her eyes, trying to find him in the dim light of the sitting room. If he was trying to break into her kitchen again, she swore she'd….

Spinning around, surprised at being caught, the young man in question gave a nervous laugh.

"Oh, everything's fine, fine! We were just doing some exercise, just walking around. Good for thinking, you know…" he said, and waved dismissively. He panted a few times to support the façade, as if he'd just finished a hard work out. "Well, back to bed again for Us."

Shuurei regarded him another moment, completely baffled at his odd behaviour. Finally, she must have decided that if he was going to act insane, at least he was restricting it to their private rooms and not making a fool of himself in court (any more). "Ok."

She let herself flop back to sleep, flinging her arm over her face to block out… everything. (In fact, she could already imagine how dreadful she'd look in the morning again from yet another night of interrupted sleep – which would no doubt only  _encourage_  Kourin and the other palace attendants…)

Oblivious to the mental glower radiating from a certain direction, Ryuuki hopped cheerfully back into bed again- as if it was perfectly natural for an Emperor to wake up in the middle of the night for a session of calisthenics with the owls and nightwatch.

"Why … I… cursed … such a…mmmph…" Beside him, Shuurei's incoherent mumbles drifted into his ear before she once again succumbed to the land of dreams.

Her breathing slowed and deepened soon after, and he tucked the blanket up around her shoulders as he felt her relax. He smoothed the covers over them both and rested on his side, elbow propping up his head, hair falling forward over his shoulder. Her peace settled some of his prior concerns, though his mind continued working at all possible opportunities to retain his beloved consort. He gazed at her semi-uncovered profile for a few minutes before making his decision.

A pout on a young man's face cleared; a pair of fists tightened; topaz eyes shone with new determination.

"Shuurei, We will not lose"  _you!_  he added the last in his mind. He visualized waves crashing behind him majestically, and glanced down to see if Shuurei had felt the emotion he'd put into his vow.

Said young woman slept fitfully, as if she, were battling demons of her own… a trio of demons, by her agitated murmurs.

The pillows, the weights and finally the statue were tossed easily from the bed… followed by an amused chuckle. He admired her efforts at modesty, truly he did, and respected that she made them.

But "As if those would really stop Us…"

More determined than ever to prove himself, and feeling slightly better at his new goal, Ryuuki fell sleep some time later. He put his arm around his inspiration and pulled her warm body closer to his.

"Goodnight, Shuurei…" he whispered into her hair before closing his eyes.

* * *

AN: IMMENSE thanks to Snowwy for her help with this chapter! Also, it will be about a month until the next update. Thank you for reading!  
AN: Posted November 10, 2007.  
AN: As always, still a test-fic.

 

* * *

**Chapter 4: Chapter 4**

* * *

**Story Title: Sweetest Dreams  
Chapter: 03  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 2700 words  
Genre: General/Comedy/PWP  
Rating: I'll say T  
Fandom: Saiunkoku Monogatari  
Summary: **A sequel to "Manjuu Magic."Shuurei x Kijin, Shuurei x Ryuuki.  
 **Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Saiunkoku Monogatari".**

AN: I hope you enjoy this sequel, thank you for reading!

* * *

There was a warm, comfortable breeze blowing through the room as Shuurei sat at the table with the Grand Guardians. The chamber itself was a bit spartan, but she found individual touches each advisor had added: the military neatness, the plethora of books, and the subtle choice of contrasting materials the furniture and structures were made of. The wealth of writing instruments and the order called to her, and she felt the wisdom of her hosts reflected in every aspect.

It immediately put her on her guard.

She offered the teapot to the man directly in front of her and to the left.

"Such beautiful weather today, isn't it? It looks like the storm was just the thing to push out the heatwave," she said pleasantly, pouring the proferred cup.

Sa Taiho smiled back, nodding. "Just the thing," he agreed.

"You must have been sweltering up here in the tower," she filled another cup, "what with the warm air and all. How did you cope?" This was code for, 'what have you been up to, you've been far too quiet.'

"Oh, we've seen plenty of heat spells in our time here at the palace," Sou Taifu nodded his thanks to her and brought the cup to his lips to blow softly on the steam that rose from the surface. "We've experienced all kinds of trials—that one was quite minor in comparison…"

Shuurei forced herself to maintain her smile in spite of the man's subtle jab at her being obviously  _inexperienced_  and  _unable_  to cope. She also didn't miss his cloaked barb about her refusing to provide an heir being but a 'minor trial'. She mentally prepared herself for the creeping barrage she knew they were preparing.

"Actually, we wanted to invite you up last week, but we knew you'd been quite busy overseeing some of the administration of the harem." Shou Taishi held out his cup to be filled before Shuurei had a chance to offer it to him.

So he's making his move first, she thought to herself.  _Stay alert_.

"One of the cultural officials merely asked for my assistance, since he knew I had previous experience with entertaining before I moved into the palace," she explained the tete-a-tete meeting, though she was sure they already knew every piece of information discussed. She prayed the poor man who'd spoken with her hadn't been tortured by the Old Busybodies in order to get the details. "He was thinking of getting together some of the women to form a small concert for His Highness for an afternoon, and asked my opinion on several matters. It was a very pleasant, professional encounter."

"Yes, so he said, too. About 'filling a spare apartment in the harem with song', 'carrying his Highness on golden notes', 'relaxing every member of the court with a well-earned reward'-."

Shuurei smiled to herself as she remembered the excitement the discussion had evoked in her. She'd really been looking forward to working together with the other musicians to come up with something that would improve the palace morale following the explanation of the 'lack of heir' business… The serving women had been most upset. With her.

"Well, your 'pleasant, professional encounter' put a fair dent in the treasury," stated Sou Taifu bluntly.

"What?!" Her resulting shriek, aghast, nearly caused them all to drop their teacups. The poor consort looked wildly from one advisor to the next. This had to be some kind of cruel joke!

"He took each of your suggestions literally, to put it lightly," Shou Taishi said smugly. The young woman across from him started to pale at the implications.

"…filling an apartment with song…?" she asked, uncertainly. "We meant to play music to enliven everyone-."

"Oh, no. He purchased as many instruments – commissioned them from several artists and master instrument-makers, actually— as he could, along with enlisting composers to write fresh ballads to honour His Highness." Shou took a sip from his teacup and smiled behind the vessel as he swallowed, relishing the look of concern and anger on his guest's lovely face.

"That wasn't how I intended my advice to be used; I admit I am partly responsible, but I never authorized those purchases," she stated resolutely.

"You didn't have to – His Highness did as soon as he heard you were organizing a concert for him. Did you not know, High Consort Kou? He is very supportive of your endeavours…"

 _Ryuuu-kiiiiii….._  she grit her teeth, still determined to smile through them.

"I'm sure this can be addressed and corrected, and I am willing to accept some of the," she swallowed, " _excesses_  that have occurred."

Shou Taishi grinned.

"We'd never dream of putting you on the spot, Consort Kou," the old man settled his cup on the tabletop and steepled his long, elegant fingers. "However, this was a considerable error… I'm sure you understand."

Sou Taifu, listening with his eyes closed and arms crossed, nodded twice. "Mm-hmm."

Whether they were about to offer her a way out of the disgraceful, wasteful mess, or just try to blackmail her further, Shuurei wasn't sure – but she was certainly desperate to make sure it didn't get any further out of hand.

"Of course! I wouldn't dream of trying to push this under the table,"  _where I'd like to kick something until it bleeds_ , she thought to herself. "Please tell me how I can help!" She would see this through and make sure it never happened again!

"Delighted! You have so much enthusiasm. It is wonderful to see in young people such as yourself," complimented Sa Taihou, pulling some paper and ink brushes out. He set aside two small piles of paper.

"You see, we've been keeping a running budget of your expenses since you arrived," Shou Taishi said, leaning forward on the table, fingers still steepled. "And we'd like to discuss them with you."

The change in the Guardians' direction startled her: from an accidental misinterpretation to her day-to-day running expenses? What were these old buzzards up to?

"I'm sorry? I had thought my stay was complimentary as part of my compensation for tutoring His Highness—."

"Yes, and you will still be paid, regardless of this incident; however let's go over some of those expenses, shall we?"

"Yes," she said after a moment, eyeing Shou Taishi warily.

Sou Taifu broke out an abacus.

"Excellent…"

* * *

That evening, Shuurei walked back to her rooms in a mild stupor… and with more than some temper.

 _What game were they playing?_  She wondered. Were they trying to make her feel guilty for residing at the palace without paying for her stay? They had to have known that reviewing such financial matters would make her feel inadequate, a burden. And she truly did feel like she was taking advantage of the entire palace staff, now that she realized how little they were paid, and some not paid at all – and there were a great many of them who served her specifically. How could she have been so blind?

Falling down into the garden beside her, the precipitation had started anew and seemed to reflect some of her dismal inner turmoil. She felt her shoulders and neck go tense, as if she now carried another burden. She had to pay some of that money back; even if it wasn't in her contract, and even though she technically wasn't the one on the hook for the advisor taking her literally and 'filling a room with music', she wanted to contribute.

A sigh escaped her pursed lips as she found herself at the end of the corridor to her palace residence; she entered her rooms. Shusui and Kourin had already prepared her apartment and left for the evening by the time she arrived, and Ryuuki was waiting for her in her bed.

The rain outside touched the roof with a constant patter, and she wondered vaguely if it could wash away some of her anxiety this time as opposed to adding to it, as it had done on her walk back from visiting the Terrible Trio.

"Shuurei?" asked her 'husband', noting her less-than-enthusiastic arrival.

"Ah, Your High-."

"Ryuuki."

"Would you like anything?" The rain beat down harder, and she raised her voice slightly in order to be heard. The smell of incense wafted in the air as she moved behind a screen – in the next room – to remove her robes and change into her nightdress.

"No, We're fine," he considered his words carefully. "Was your day eventful?"  
Shuurei glared at part of the painted screen.  _'Eventful'_?

"It was quite enlightening, actually…"

A low grumble of thunder sounded in the distance. Shuurei felt the hair on the back of her arms stand up and paused while undoing part of her under-robe. She'd thought the warm air the night before had pushed the storm front out of their region; could it have just been waiting to break a bit later? She felt her fingers tense up and turn into useless nubs as another growl of thunder broke, closer this time. It was definitely getting closer, and picking up speed. Heart constricting in her chest, Shuurei felt the usual chill go down her spine as her panic bloomed.

"…-rei? Shuurei? Shuurei! Are you alright?"

Ryuuki's voice, now just on the other side of the screen, finally entered her muddled brain.

"Fine! Fine! Sorry, I'll be right there!"

"Are you sure?" he asked, now even more concerned. Shuurei didn't usually hide like this from him – not that he watched her change, but she'd normally just ask him (well, admittedly, order him) to wait in another room while she got ready for bed; but now he could see her shadow's silhouette on the wall, and she was huddled in a tiny bundle, her hands cover her head as if to protect it from a phantom blow.

He glanced away to give her more privacy, but his concern remained. In a lull between the thunder rolls, there was sound like she'd leapt to her feet.

"Coming!"

She rushed out a few moments later, hurrying to bed where she jumped in – and again, pulled the covers up over her head.

"You should really get to bed, Your Highness," she called from beneath the blankets, her voice muffled. "It looks like it'll be quite the storm. Better get some rest before the lightning—."

A massive boom shook the dwelling, and Shuurei shrieked for the second time that day. Her diminutive form took on the shape of a snail, her back obviously rounded over the legs she had tucked in under her and the blanket wrapped securely around every possible inch of herself. Had it not been for the violent trembling, the young emperor might have assumed she'd stuffed a bundle of laundry under the covers.

Ryuuki regarded his 'wife' as if she'd just gone off the deep end.

"Is it the storm that you don't like?" he asked cautiously, approaching their bed. He left the lamps lit as he settled down beside her. The lump made an affirmative movement from beneath the piles of plush material.

He smiled to himself. "Is this what you usually do?"

"Seiran usually helps, at home," her shaky voice mumbled.

The young man felt himself nod a bit, though she couldn't see him do so. Stifling the jealousy was easy and familiar by now; he was glad his brother had been of help to her before he himself had known her. "Ah… Would you like some company?" he asked, not very enthused at the notion of turning the lamps out quite yet, either.

The bundle didn't acknowledge his offer.

"We have storms like this every so often," he continued, and reached out a hand to gently rub her back – or where he assumed her back was, but he was sure of it as he felt her shaking diminish incrementally at his touch.

"Sometimes it feels like they're trying to break in, doesn't it?"  _(Ryuuki's interpersonal skill number 4: Attempting a joke to ease tension.)_  
  
She stiffened.

_(Result: Backfire.)_

"Ah! But they won't! We promise, they won't!" It was a moment or two before he went on again. "Has Seiran been able to help you while you've been here in the palace?"

"… no." Her voice held a note of sadness, and he continued the circular motions on her back.

"Have you had any problems from the storms since you've been here?"

From beneath the warm blankets, Shuurei held her breath.

"Shuurei?"

Ryuuki picked up a corner of the cover and slowly lifted it to peek underneath. A pair of wide eyes avoided his, and a flushed face turned away. His eyebrows knit;  _was she embarrassed about her fear? Had someone humiliated her_? The latter notion immediately roused his protective feelings for her.

"Shuurei?" he asked again. "You know We don't like the dark—it's fine if you don't like the storm. We can hate them together!"

With her rumpled hair and reddened cheeks, she looked very cute, he admitted to himself somewhat guiltily. It would be wrong to take advantage of her vulnerable position. Very, very wrong.

 _However…_  His heart felt a mild flutter and he cheered slightly; now was his chance to comfort her! "Can We help?" he asked compassionately.

He raised the blanket slowly and wrapped it around her shoulders, preparing to pull her against him, rock her to sleep, and confess to her all the things he wanted to say. He still hadn't settled on the order, but the young man was sure the display of sympathy and connection would be plenty to win over her heart…

Shuurei felt her heart overflow at a different memory, though.

"TherewasonetimebeforeIstartedworkingherethatIendedupinKijin'sarmsbecausethestormscaredmesomuch," she said in a breath, before looking at him with her face red as a lobster.

His arms froze in the air with the edges of the blanket, an inch from her shoulders.

 _That's ok, We can have him dead by morning so he can't do it again_ , was Ryuuki's first thought. It was generously cheerful.  _Very dead_.

He looked back at her, and could tell she was waiting for his reaction. He tried desperately to control his eyebrows from twitching.

She was brave, and didn't look away.

 _We're glad you had someone with you_ , was the next thought that floated through his mind. It was accompanied by a wave of relief, and bullied the first thought away from the Emperor's immediate attention. He settled his arms around her and pulled her close; she rested her head against his chest, trying to breathe normally in spite of her anxiety.

"Ah…" he couldn't think of anything to say. He didn't remember when he'd stopped rubbing her back, but he had. He started the motion again, and she nodded in thanks.

"It… helps when there's someone there," she added, still a bit mortified she had so little control over her fear. Her benefactor looked crestfallen, though he rallied some semblance of recovery for her benefit. He pulled back a moment and extended a hand to her.

"Then please accept Our offer of company through tonight, and for any other bad weather."

"Thank you," she murmured, relaxing slightly. It was a relief that at least she wouldn't have to hide from him and lock herself in a wardrobe during the next round of meteorological inclemency. She gripped his hand in acceptance.

Another crack of thunder rang out, and the room flared with the lightning.

Shuurei shrieked again. Instinctively, she threw herself against Ryuuki, burying her face in the folds of his robes at his chest.

 _Wimp!_  She screamed at herself. Such an emotionally-draining afternoon, and now this? She just wanted to pass out. She clutched his robes tighter as she heard another growl of thunder.  _Please let this storm finish soon!_

Cheeks burning, Ryuuki's heart skipped; then he wondered at what point he'd adopted a wrestler for a consort, as his 'wife' tightened her grip on him.  
"Erk, Shuurei…"

He finally settled on wrapping his arms around her, and pulling her closer to him. "Once the worst stops, we'll lie down, Ok?"

She nodded, not raising her head up.

He sighed, though not unhappily.

…And plotted a new project that would keep advisor Kijin so busy he wouldn't see the light of day for weeks.

* * *

AN: SnowKae has been very busy, so this chapter is unbeta-ed for now. We'll try and edit this one, and have a new chapter for you in January or February 2008! (All errors in this chapter are my own, sorry, so please R&R with concrit so I can clean it up!)  
AN: Thank YOU for reading! (Please let us know what you think!)  
AN: Still a test-fic. Originally posted December 22, 2007. Happy Holidays, everyone!

* * *

**Chapter 5: Chapter 5**

* * *

1 **Story Title: Sweetest Dreams**  
Chapter: 04  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 1200 words  
Genre: General/Comedy/PWP  
Rating: I'll say T  
Fandom: Saiunkoku Monogatari

 **Summary:** A sequel to "Manjuu Magic." Shuurei x Kijin, Shuurei x Ryuuki.

 **Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Saiunkoku Monogatari".**  
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER! I am making this story slight-AU in its timeline : In this story, Shuurei had her job at Kijin's department prior to taking her position in the harem. (Please, go with it?)

AN: I hope you enjoy this sequel, thank you for reading!

* * *

All Ryuuki's plotting to bury even work-a-holic advisor Kijin under an intensive new project was up-ended the next day in court when an official from the Civil Affairs area brought an urgent notice to Li Kouyuu. When Court had adjourned, the official addressed Kouyuu in private before returning to work at his superior's nod of understanding. The Emperor, Li Kouyuu, and Ran Shuuei gathered in the Emperor's private office to discuss the rushed report.

 

"A new group of con-artists have started coming in to the city," related Kouyuu, looking over the papers his subordinate had provided him. "The Investigation department is looking into it, but they think it could affect more than just the usual groups within the walls."

"Shuuei, have you heard anything?" asked Ryuuki, alleging his colleague may have inside knowledge through his connections to Kouchou and the underworld bosses.

The dark-haired man nodded, relaxed but alert. "They're keeping their own eyes on things, down there. It's about the rumour of the tax-levy, isn't it?"

"Yes. It seems this group has members going around impersonating officials – and that some officials from the Treasury and Taxation department have actually believed it, and been helping them."

"There's been no announcement from Advisor Hojo, though. Why are they following someone else's orders?" asked Ryuuki, thinking aloud.

"We're still not sure. The Investigation department are still looking into things and will let us know," said Kouyuu.

"And they told you because they know you're one of the Emperor's trusted advisors, I see," said Shuuei, resting his head in his hand as his elbow rested on a desk.

"We could stop it by making an official announcement that there is no tax levy, and the tax-collecting is to be stopped immediately, but that would drive the trouble-makers underground, and we may never find out who started this," reasoned Kouyuu.

The other men made sounds of agreement, and went quiet as they considered the implications.

"Advisor Kijin would never permit such a thing to occur in his department… so why is it happening?" wondered Ryuuki aloud. He didn't know the man well, and personal feelings aside, he'd always found him a dutiful councilor.

"Perhaps he's already looking into it and is leaving the trail active to investigate himself?" Kouyuu surmised, most logically."Ah, who knows? Perhaps he's found his one true love and he's distracted from his work?" teased Shuuei, laughing slightly.

Ryuuki felt his shoulders tense as suspicion flooded him. Could it be?...

"We've decided," stated the Emperor without a moment's hesitation. "Effective immediately, Advisor Kijin and the entire Department of Treasury and Taxation will be audited!"

"Your Highness, that just may tip off the con-artists…" cautioned Shuuei as he raised a hand to get the Emperor's attention, his smile faltering slightly at the youngest man's sudden resolution.

"Not if it is done – in secret," amended Ryuuki, his eyes narrowing as the plot formed in his mind. As he brought one hand thoughtfully to his chin, behind him Kouyuu and Shuuei looked at each other. How were they to audit an entire department secretly?

"Who do You recommend would be best suited to engage in such an undertaking, your Highness?" asked Kouyuu with some apprehension, as a bad feeling started crawling through his veins. A headache started building in his temples as the Emperor's eyes gleamed with determination. "The Investigation department did say they're already looking into this…" he added in an effort to deter the avid young man from his current course of action.

"Yes, and that will be the official report – but it will take the Investigation department time to fully understand the department of finance. So, We declare the one to lead this audit will be… Advisor Kijin!"

Kouyuu's headache swelled, and Shuuei closed his eyes as he brushed his bangs away from his face tiredly. The Emperor was at it again…

"You're certain, your Highness?" asked Shuuei carefully, his artificial smile quivering.

"Asking an advisor to audit himself and his department… Your Highness, this is not an acceptable method of investigation—what are you-."

"If he finds nothing, then We'll be certain he's guilty, won't we?" said Ryuuki proudly. _And then We can punish him for comforting Shuurei – errr, We mean, deceiving the people_ , he corrected himself quickly. This wasn't the least bit personal.

His two colleagues were floored by the naïve, circular logic, but couldn't argue with it, either.

The trio set to work on the 'un-official official audit' plan…

* * *

Several days later…

 

Councillor Kijin arrived at his Highness' private office at his summons, dressed in his bright Court robes and adorned with a 'conservative' mask.

He left half an hour later with a headache and wearing an 'insulted and unimpressed' mask.

* * *

That night…

 

"You're very… happy tonight," remarked Shuurei suspiciously, as Ryuuki put his head in her lap as he lay in her bed.

"Mmm! It was a very good day in Court," he said vaguely, enjoying his 'wife's' warmth and attention. "Did Shuurei have a good day, too?"

Looking back over her day's events – which she mostly spent brainstorming ways to make money while still within the palace walls – Shuurei sighed in consternation. "I spent much of it thinking of ways to improve myself," she hedged, with some embarrassment.

"Shuurei doesn't need to do such things," mumbled Ryuuki, drifting off. "Shuurei is just fine as she is…"

With that, his breathing evened out and Shuurei stared down at the Emperor's perfect face, even more embarrassed- and just a little bit frustrated that she couldn't tell him about her financial troubles, lest it spark an Imperial tantrum that she didn't need to consider herself a burden while in his care.

Pursing her lips, Shuurei went back to the thoughts that had occupied her all day long. There had to be someone in the palace who needed help, who'd accept her? She knew that, being a woman (and the Imperial Consort, no less), her options were quite limited. Again, she was thwarted by the inequalities that existed in a society that didn't accept her as a worker…

… didn't accept her as a woman…

But who had accepted 'Shou-kun', her male alter-ego…

Shuurei felt her spirits buoyed as she remembered her previous work in the palace under Kijin's authority. Perhaps?...

But his department was already fully-staffed again, despite the heat. There would likely be no need for 'Shou-kun'. Shuurei looked over at her pile of books, and at the altar where she'd burned the message from the Grand Guardians, and strengthened her resolve.

It wouldn't hurt to ask – she could do that much!

Shifting slightly under the weight of her 'husband's' head, Shuurei settled in to sleep, determined to visit Kijin the next day and see if 'Shou-kun' could be of any use to him, or to any other department he could think of.

* * *

**TBC.**

 

**AN: Thank you for reading – and for your patience! I'm sorry, I've tried reaching Snowwy several times but haven't heard back; so this chapter is unbeta'd, again. (All mistakes are my own.) Snowwy, if you read this and you're still interested in beta'ing, could you please drop me a line? (I hope you had a great time in Japan, btw!) I'll try and get back to writing new chapters for this story between now and May. Sorry for the extended delay!**

**PS: Yes, still a test-fic...**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Initiation**

* * *

**Story Title: Sweetest Dreams**  
Chapter: 05  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 1500 words  
Genre: General/Comedy/PWP  
Rating: I'll say T  
Fandom: Saiunkoku Monogatari  
Pairings: Shuurei x Kijin, Shuurei x Ryuuki.

 **Summary:** A sequel to "Manjuu Magic."

 **Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Saiunkoku Monogatari".**  
  
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER! I am making this story slight-AU in its timeline : In "Sweetest Dreams", Shuurei held her job in Kijin's department prior to taking her position in the harem. (Please, go with it?)

AN: I hope you enjoy this sequel, thank you for reading!

* * *

_In the palace..._

It was very early morning, and the emperor had left at dawn this morning to prepare for an early meeting. As soon as she'd heard him leave, she'd stealthily left her apartments and started phase one of her plan.

Her imperial finery was bundled together securely inside a large, ornate vase in one of the dozens of unused rooms in the palace; her hair was tied up securely in a bun under her head wrap; and she now sported comfortable, if slightly loose-fitting trousers under her tunic. Not a speck of make-up was left on her face. A quick glance in a reflective window bolstered her confidence.

 _Yosh!_ She mentally congratulated herself, and felt her arms thrum with determination.

'Kou Shuu' was back in action.

* * *

Ko Kijin looked down at obviously-Consort-Kou-in-dress-up standing erectly in front of his desk.

"Yes, I remember, you were very helpful during the heatwave," he held a book of the capital's municipal balances in his hand and went back to reading the values and making tallies in his head, pretending to ignore her presence.

"Thank you, I feel very fortunate to have left such a good impression," she replied, and held her shoulders straight. She was about to make her move, and he had to admit he was curious as to why she would venture out of the harem incognito...

His new 'assignment' from his Highness, however, left him little time for chitchat, and admittedly suspicious.

"Is there something I can do for you?" he asked rather bluntly, and set the books down on his desk.

She nodded, her eyes bright and focused.

"Yes. I'd like a job," her voice was just as blunt as his own had been, and she took a step forward in earnestness. "I'm capable and very good with figures. I learn quickly, and I'm very reliable. Please hire me."

The notion that the Emperor may have tricked his Consort into spying on him briefly flitted through Kijin's mind, however he brushed it away – the young woman before him was curious, but she seemed to respect him and he was sure she'd never do something so undignified as spying on him. She would ask him outright. She was clever enough to find work anywhere; it was only because she was a woman that she was limited. By the same token, however, while it was true she could work anywhere, it was also true she would only work for a straightforward superior. Kou Shuurei would never work for someone she didn't respect.

"We're fully-staffed right now for our usual workload," he said as he considered her offer.

The young woman's face didn't falter. "Please give me a chance; I will do any work you have available," she insisted, hands straight at her side.

Through the slits in his mask he took a good, long look at her. She wasn't doing this without reason. It was obvious she had an agenda of some sort – but he felt it was her own, and not related to him. He could tell by the way she met his eyes (or, rather, where she probably assumed his eyes were... the mask was a bit deceptive.) She was here because she trusted him; while she was offering her own assistance, she was also asking for help.

 _And the Emperor just dropped that ridiculous audit in my lap,_ he reasoned, warming up to the idea of having an untainted apprentice or assistant to help him. One who'd be available any time he needed her...

And she did reside close by.

"Any work?" his voice was even.

She nodded curtly. "Yes."

"Will you be available for an extended project?"

She nodded again, decisively. "Yes, I am available whenever you need assistance, and am not afraid of hard work."

He already knew that, but it was encouraging to hear her say it. Still, she was a woman and it would cause trouble among the others if she were to be found out.

He shook his head – the risk was too great. If something happened when he wasn't around, there would be no one to protect her. She was far too valuable an individual, woman or no, to have around. "Unfortunately, as I said, we aren't looking for any new employees in this department right now. If you check with another area, you may find-"

"Please take me! I'll do my best!"

Her ill-fitting clothes trembled slightly with the force of her determination, and her hands had curled into hard little fists. Somewhere deep within Kijin stirred the memory of a young woman who'd been terrified of a thunder storm – and had stayed to work in this very office despite it, ending up in his arms, her head buried in his chest – and those same little fists digging into his robes. She probably was one of the most capable young people he'd worked with...

It would almost be a shame to deny her a position.

Also, it would give him something to hold over Reishin.

Beneath his mask, Kijin smiled to himself as he came around to the idea.

It was his turn to nod slightly at her. "Then you will start immediately, and from now on you will report here directly to me. You will work here for one week. We will see after that if you will continue."

Her eyes shone gold with elation and triumph. "Yes! Right away! Thank you." She bowed low, and held her fist in her hand as a sign of gratitude.

"This way," he led her towards the stack of records that he'd been organizing. "I'll explain what I need you to do..."

He had to stifle a sigh –or a laugh – when she nearly hopped to attention to follow him.

In the back of his mind, he wondered how best to break it to Reishin his beloved niece had thrown herself at him. Twice.

* * *

Advisor Kijin had kept her at his side until lunch, then until supper, then past ten o'clock that night.

"Be here at 5am, before the others arrive," he ordered as he locked the doors to the Treasury and Finance department and turned to leave.  
She had barely been able to keep her eyes open, but had nodded and bowed in open gratitude once more for his generosity.

Shuurei watched him leave before turning back towards the harem to look for the room where she'd hidden her clothes, her head a jumble of newly learned facts and procedures, and her arms exhausted from carrying so many piles of heavy scrolls and books.

 _Please let him sleep in his own chambers tonight_ , she begged the spirits that be as she made her way back to her apartments.

(Bear in mind, these were the same spirits who'd thought it would be amusing to give the Emperor the ability to spontaneously ignite boiling water when he made his first attempts at cooking manjuu...)

* * *

"Late!" the emperor called accusingly as soon as she stepped through the door. "You're late! We were about to call the guards to go and find you!"

"By 'guards', you mean send Seiran?" she asked tiredly, though good-naturedly. She'd never admit it, but she'd become accustomed to his occasional tantrums – it was his way of showing he cared.

The handsome young man blushed a bit, but refused to back down. "He would know where to find you," he gave in guise of explanation. It was true, of course.

"I'm just going to go get ready to sleep; I'll meet you in bed, your Highness."

"Ryuuki!" he called after her as she stepped behind her screen.

"So noisy," she mumbled, but smiled as she pulled on her sleeping robe. She hid the men's garments in her laundry basket and returned to curl into bed for the night. Her 'husband' had removed all elements she may have tried to use as a barrier between them. She sighed and lay down, defeated.

As she'd expected, Ryuuki settled his arm around her like a warm vice, just to make sure she stayed put.

She wasn't sure what to expect in the morning with Advisor Kijin, but she knew she had to get rid of Ryuuki before she snuck out again before dawn if she wanted to avoid an inquisition...

* * *

**TBC...**

**AN: Thank you everyone who's been leaving such kind comments, I really appreciate them! (I'm sorry, I'm a horrible updater!)... Any and all concrit is much appreciated!**   
**AN: Eliza, thank you for your offer to beta - I may contact you when I return from my trip to Taiwan, in late April!**   
**AN: This chapter first posted 22 March 2008.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Chapter 7**

* * *

**Story Title: Sweetest Dreams**  
Chapter: 06  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 900 words  
Genre: General/Comedy/Romance/PWP  
Rating: I'll say T  
Fandom: Saiunkoku Monogatari  
Pairings: Shuurei x Kijin, Shuurei x Ryuuki.

 **Summary:** A sequel to "Manjuu Magic."

 **Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Saiunkoku Monogatari".**  
  
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER! I am making this story slight-AU in its timeline : In "Sweetest Dreams", Shuurei held her job in Kijin's department prior to taking her position in the harem. (Please, go with it?)

AN: I hope you enjoy this sequel, thank you for reading!

* * *

**Chapter 06**

Across the table, Reishin trembled with rage as he regarded Kijin's blank-yet-casual mask.

"You've… you've… you…."

His teeth and fists were clenched tight and he couldn't get a word past his stress-induced hiccups.

"Rest assured, 'he' works very hard and is very dutiful. Thoughtful, methodical, and shows up early every day. We work together." The emphasis on the last word didn't escape the intended's ears. "'His' clothes are simple, but well-kept; he is very clean; he brews an excellent cup of Lung Jin (dragonwell) for mid-afternoon tea. Has repaired many of the damaged texts, has kept to the budget, and has made a number of improvements to the running of the department, all while helping me with the audit and inventory." Despite his lecturing tone, Kijin couldn't resist egging on his companion. "Truly, the emperor is lucky to have such a diligent worker in his custody—er, 'employ'. Shou-kun would do so well running a household, I think. With many children—forgive me, I meant  _subordinates_."

Fiercely protective, Reishin wasn't about to let the praise regarding his darling niece's aptitudes—comments which to him were no better than slights towards her divine greatness—pass without rebuttal.

"You dare to insult such a beautiful, intelligent child by exploitation! This is treachery!"

"Perhaps," agreed the elegant man congenially, his robes shining almost golden for a moment as the sun poured in over him. He pretended to study the teacup in his hand a moment before continuing. "But Shou-kun seems to enjoy it. Do you think Shou would like to join the department later as an official? To see each other and work together everyday?"

Kijin expected—and easily ducked—the fan-missile that shot past his ear, and took a slow, content sip from his own cup.

"Mmm," he nodded to himself. "You're right. He'd do so much better if he were to join my household and work… under me." Taking note of the time of day and Reishin's apoplectic expression, he sighed politely and thought fondly of how to torture him the next time they met.

"Thank you for tea," he said as he got up and left his friend to return to work.

For his part, Kou Reishin stayed very still, lips trembling and regarded with murderous intent his dearest acquaintance walk away from him. As soon as the masked man was out of sight, Reishin broke down in tears, bawling hopelessly all over the table before banging the table violently and vowing revenge.

"Maximum… punishment…" he choked to himself as he skulked sullenly back to his office. He'd order Kouyuu around a bit and make himself feel better in the meantime.

 

* * *

_In the Ministry of Finance…_

 

"We've reached the half-way point," remarked 'Shou-kun' proudly to her superior when he returned that evening. At the end of their usual working day, the regular employees had gone home; 'Shou-kun' had stayed to continue 'his' work, as had become 'his' custom.

The young 'man' was standing atop a small stool, cataloguing and putting away a heavy-looking scroll before wiping the perspiration from her brow and smiling at Kijin, eye-level with him. "We're actually ahead of schedule, too—the last two sections went much faster than I'd anticipated. Where would you like me next?"

The minister regarded her a moment in the lamp-light and shadow of the stacks, struck by her slight frame, the tendrils of soft, dark hair that had escaped her utilitarian bun at the back of her head. The flush of accomplishment on 'his' cheeks did nothing to hide her femininity and for not the first time Kijin wondered how the others in the department had failed to notice the lovely individual in their midst. It came to him early on that he needed to keep her at least some distance from the rest of the employees, to maintain objectivity in the audit – but he was now glad he'd kept the physical distance between them to prevent them from ever getting a good look at her.

His mind wandered further, and he realized with some surprise, and a hint of alarm, that he may have had his own, personal reasons for keeping her close to him, too.

"Hm?" he heard himself ask her through a foggy haze.

"Where would you like me to work next?" she repeated, looking at him curiously. "Are you not feeling well?" her concern was conservative, as any man asking another man, but the long lashes of her eyes distracted him.

"I think, since we made so much progress today, that we should retire early. Would you join me for a meal?" he evaded her questions and made the invitation casually, though the request was out of his mouth before he realized it. He felt grateful for the mask's comforting weight and leant deception.

Stepping carefully down from the stool, 'Shou-kun' smiled brightly at him and gave a hearty "yes!".

As they walked together down the hallway chatting amiably, Kijin quickly brought his hand back from where he'd been about to touch the curve of her back to guide her along.

From behind one of the tall, red, ornately carved columns that studded the outer walkway and ran the perimeter of the palace, Shi Seiran held himself still under his armour and observed the pair leave in the direction of the restaurant district.

* * *

**TBC...**

**AN: Kichou, thank you for the plot-bunny! (I hope you don't mind me pinching it… I may have looked favourably at other comments & reviews, too, ** _**coughcough** _ **… Which means future chaps have already been plotted out, thank you very much for contributing to the SaiMono fanfic fund that is "SD"!)  
**

**AN: Also, I apologize sincerely for the lack of updates… (I last updated in March 2008? Eeps! I'm so sorry… I lost the chapters I worked on while I was abroad in April, and then I lost the ones I re-wrote when I got back!) I am working on more already to make it up to any of you who are still following this story!**

**/mm. Chap. First posted 12 July 2008.**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Chapter 8**

* * *

**Story Title: Sweetest Dreams**  
Chapter: 07  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 1600 words  
Genre: General/Comedy/Romance/PWP  
Rating: I'll say T  
Fandom: Saiunkoku Monogatari  
Pairings: Shuurei x Kijin, Shuurei x Ryuuki.

 **Summary:** A sequel to "Manjuu Magic."

 **Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Saiunkoku Monogatari".**  
  
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER! I am making this story slight-AU in its timeline : In "Sweetest Dreams", Shuurei held her job in Kijin's department prior to taking her position in the harem. (Please, go with it?)

AN: I hope you enjoy this sequel, thank you for reading!

* * *

**Chapter 07**

Seiran waited patiently outside the harem apartment where Shuurei and Ryuuki slept. It wasn't too long before his younger brother slipped like a shadow through the door in the outside wall to meet him. The soldier gave a tilt of his head, indicating his brother should follow him until they were a short distance away. The night was quiet but for the insects' harp-singing in the gentle breeze, and the frogs when they approached the walkway over the pond.

"What did you find out?" asked Ryuuki before giving his confidante and spy a chance to delay his inquisition further.

At his seigneur's overwrought state, Seiran chose his words very, very carefully. "She has been studying Saiunkoku's financial situation in order to better acquaint herself with the kingdom."

Hand at his chin, the gold-eyed emperor reflected on his most trusted's words. "She shouldn't be neglecting Us in order to do that, though… Shuurei hasn't shown up to a single meal in the past week. Is she eating well?" his face paled at the realization he came to aloud, and he nearly seized his older brother in his anxiety.

At the restaurant that night with Advisor Kijin –Seiran knew he should address the man as 'Advisor Hojo', but it hardly mattered-, Shuurei had put away more food than some of the brashest soldiers Seiran had served with, and requested the rest be packed up so she could bring it home with her instead of seeing it wasted.

Of course, as soon as she and Kijin had parted ways on their respective routes home, she had delivered the food to one of the larger families whose children she used to teach.

"Her appetite is fine," assured the former prince, and stifled a chuckle at the relief that visibly coursed through his brother, "and she's making sure to get her meals…"  _including those of her superiors_ , Seiran noted, remembering how she'd speared the last shrimp dumpling and gobbled it down—only to realize a second too late her employer had had his chopsticks poised above the very morsel she'd just devoured. Her heartfelt apologies and self-conscious laugh afterwards had drawn a chuckle from the older man, however, and he'd ordered another round of dumplings (and challenged her to a time-battle to see who could eat the most in 3 minutes).

The soldier had never seen the mysterious councilor so relaxed and amicable with a colleague other than his two former examination partners.

Still pensive, Ryuuki's eyebrows furrowed, deep in thought.

"Is she keeping secrets from Us?" he asked softly and looked out over one of the ponds. His shoulders were relaxed, his posture serene, but his brother knew better.

"She is doing her best for you. Your Highness can trust Shuurei." Seiran smiled and pulled up behind his brother in support. They could not stand side by side, as they were not equals, but he would shoulder what burden he could from his younger sibling. And truly, Shuurei had not shown any interest in Kijin…

And Kijin would not dare show an interest in a male colleague – none of his strange habits fell that way. Such actions caused a great deal of talk – and sometimes even incited new fads and customs among those who idealized the higher-ranking officials. Particularly the women who tried to marry into the official's family… for some reason, some of them found unattainable men quite… alluring.

The soldier glanced at the night sky and paused. In a way, Shuurei was unattainable, too. But she was a 'man' while working with Kijin, so he had nothing to worry about the councilor falling for the young cross-dressing consort.

At least, Seiran was fairly sure Kijin's intentions didn't lean towards men.

The sound of a pond-frog distracted Seiran a moment. Suddenly, he became aware of a number of similar traits between the Emperor and his Minister of Finance. He glanced at his brother, the leader of government policy…

_-Kijin led the financial policy around the palace and capital-_

…Ryuuki, the trend-setter of cultural norms…

_-masks had become more fashionable after Kijin started wearing his-_

…Ryuuki, a divine celebrity and the one man who had the means, yet not quite the understanding, to spoil Shuurei for the rest of her life…

_-Kijin was possibly the only man (other than Shouka) who could control Reishin's manic, erratic overindulgence on attaining Shuurei's happiness—he'd probably learned what she liked just by her uncle's obsessive spending habits where she was concerned._

Who worked hard.

_Just._

Who was known for strange behaviours.

_Like._

Who had never cared what people thought of him…

_Kijin._

His brother who, until Shuurei came along, had pretended his sexual preference tended towards men…

… regardless of the talk it had created…

The night chilled Seiran to the bone in an instant, and not due to the temperature. The frogs in the pond went silent as death, as the pale-haired former prince forced his breathing to remain calm.

His only ray of hope at that moment was the fact that truly, Shuurei hadn't shown any interest in Ryuuki, so Kijin was probably not gaining her favour anyway.

Even if he'd given her a job.

Probably.

And was treating her as an equal with respect in a government position.

Hopefully.

… who'd let her eat to her heart's content and discussed politics and improving policy with her help and laughed together as they made plans for the department for the future…  _ohdearspiritsno…_

Settling his fractionally less-certain sentiments towards Kijin, Seiran smiled his calm, assuring smile at his brother as he turned back to face him, a look of relief on his face. Completely, blissfully unaware of his brother's ghostly-wavering confidence.

"Thank you, Seiran."

Seiran nodded and watched Ryuuki walk back along the path and enter his 'wife's' apartment again as quietly as he could, so as not to wake her.

For his part, Seiran noticed a distinct weight added to his shoulders. And chest.

He wondered who he should speak to first : Shuurei, Kijin, the Sages, or Reishin.

Cringing at the last, the young man continued on his nightly rounds and debated who would give him the second-most trouble…

* * *

The next morning, Shuurei wore a different set of men's clothes she'd 'borrowed' from a nearby laundry, and tossed her old ones under her own dirty robes to be laundered before nipping out to return to work at Kijin's office. Overtired, she didn't notice the collar sticking out from her work-tunic…

When Shusui and Kourin arrived later, bowing a greeting to the Emperor as he yawned, waved and left them to return to his own quarters, the pair started their usual tidying of the suite.

It was Kourin who found the men's robes and turned them over curiously to Shusui.

"Is he gamboling about again as a commoner?" she asked, her lovely head tilted to the side as she passed the worn clothing to her superior. Her emerald-green eyes sparkled with amusement and suspicion

It was obvious to Shusui the robes were too small for the Emperor. She and Kourin held each other's eyes for a moment before Kourin gasped and put her hands to her mouth.

"Oh! You don't mean-!"

"Kourin, shh!" Silencing the young girl, the older woman quickly stashed the robes in a cupboard and faced Kourin, her features pinched and terrified.

Shusui blanched and swore the younger attendant to secrecy in order to preserve Shuurei's life at least until they could find out why a man's robes other than the Emperor's were in her private rooms…

"But this could mean treason!" whispered Kourin anxiously, fretting about and glancing out the window to make sure the rest of the usual staff hadn't arrived yet.

"There has to be a reason," Shusui kept repeating, and looked oddly at the cupboard that held the incriminating evidence. "We need to find…" but she had no idea where Shuurei had been disappearing to, she realized. Then the answer came to her. "Seiran."

"Seiran?"

"Who else knows Shuurei's every move?"

A look of hope spread over Kourin, and both women busied themselves with re-arranging the furniture in the suite in order to prevent the cupboard from 'accidentally' being opened before they'd get back.

Or deliberately being opened, once the sittee, tablettes, curio cabinet, hutch and armoire were placed strategically in front of it.

"Do you think it looks forced?" asked Kourin, glancing at the pile of woodwork and wicker pieces as Shusui heaved another beautiful brocade silk pillow on top of the mass to make it look 'luxuriantly homey'.

"Of course not," she wheezed, and pushed a loosened tendril of sweaty hair off her pinked face. "It's… artistic. A monument to the greatness of …."

Kourin crossed her arms in front of her, interrupting a bit rudely with a snap of her fingers.

"We should have just burned them! No one pays any attention to when Shuurei burns random things in here anymore. They already doubled the size of her altar after that baby-congratulations-inundation incident."

Shusui's shoulder drooped when she realized Kourin did have a point.

* * *

**TBC.**

**/AN: Thank you so much for reading – you guys are the reason I continue this story, and your great feedback and comments have really kept me going. Fine, it's official – this is no longer a 'test fic'. I'll write this one to the end. I'll go back to the roots of the story in the next chap – so prepare yourselves for…** _**The Sages' 'Marriage-Counselling' Intervention!** _

**/AN: I hope you enjoy – thank you for always commenting and sending me concrit!**

**/mm. This chap. first posted 28 July 2008.**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Chapter 9**

* * *

**Story Title: Sweetest Dreams**  
Chapter: 08  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 6500 words  
Genre: General/Comedy/Romance/PWP  
Rating: I'll say T  
Fandom: Saiunkoku Monogatari  
Pairings: Shuurei x Kijin, Shuurei x Ryuuki.

 **Summary:** A sequel to "Manjuu Magic."

 **Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Saiunkoku Monogatari".**  
  
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER! I am making this story slight-AU in its timeline: In "Sweetest Dreams", Shuurei held her job in Kijin's department prior to taking her position in the harem. (Please, go with it?)

**AN: I hope you enjoy this sequel, thank you for reading!**

* * *

_In the Finance Department…_

Kijin resisted the urge to roll his eyes as one of the younger clerks in the department glanced up at him from his position on the ground.

"The stool fell over again, sir," he said, a bit embarrassed.

"If you need help, get one of your seniors to assist you. We're too busy to lose someone to a careless injury," the masked man replied coldly, and continued on his way once he saw someone had come to pull the man up to standing again.

Back at his desk, the head financial advisor took in a quick sweep of his department to see how the clerks were doing. His eyes rested on 'Shou-kun' a moment longer than they did on everyone else.

For her part, Shuurei felt the penetrating eyes of someone watching her settle on her back.

She looked up from the desk where she worked on double-checking the accounting entries from a grain-tax levy. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Seiran just outside the department, tilting his head and looking into the hallway; a signal that he needed to talk to her privately. His usual requests for her attention were more forward and obvious… so his subtle behaviour that morning struck a chord of concern deep within her chest. He'd rarely ever bothered her at a job before. (Excluding the time he'd pulled her away from playing her erhu to see Shou Taishi at her own residence… Her heart fell. This didn't bode well.)

Excusing herself politely, Shuurei tidied her desk and went for a 'break' to the gardens, informing Kijin she'd be back soon.

The golden-robed councilor nodded and watched her leave curiously before turning his head back to his own work, his mask remaining impassive.

When he heard Seiran's voice coming from the same direction Shuurei had left in, however, he straightened slightly and listened.

* * *

"My Lady is trying out a new look," remarked Seiran in his usual friendly tone when they were alone in the hallway, some distance from the Ministry where Shuurei worked. He took in her shapeless robes and trousers, and the way the kerchief in her hair did nothing to hide the graceful, feminine lines of her neck and chin. The men in the department had to be blind not to notice her, he thought to himself not for the first time, and realized with some concern that misinformation was partly why the department was being investigated in the first place…

"What's wrong? Has something happened? How did you know I was here?" she asked, glancing back around the corner to make sure no one had followed them out. "Were you followed?"

The soldier sighed good-naturedly. He wanted to reach out and pat her on the shoulder to reassure her, but he could only protect her so much before she did need to face things herself. And he just so happened to have something that required her immediate attention.

With an apologetic grimace, he held out a scroll with her name in beautiful calligraphy scrawled across one side. It wasn't that he meant to ignore her questions or dismiss her, but it was best not to delay with the document he held.

"I believe My Lady knows who this is from," he said as she accepted the letter.

Seiran watched her as her eyebrows knit together; then as her face darkened with each passing moment while she skimmed through the contents of the elegant scroll.

Her hands shook; her knuckles went white; her face fluxed purple and she seethed,  _"Why those meddling…."_

With a small burst of disgust, she glared at the words on the scroll one last time before whipping the missive at the wall angrily.

"Can I confirm you'll be attending, then, My Lady?" asked Seiran self-consciously.

A decidedly unlady-like gesture of agreement was uttered from the woman who stomped back to work.

With a sigh, Seiran bent down to pick up the invitation the Sages had issued to Shuurei to attend the  _Grand Guardian Special Intensive Marriage Counseling Session, Dinner Theatre and Role-Playing Practice_.

 **Dress : Formal**.

It was scheduled for supper that night.

Seiran made his way to the next stop on his Invitation Tour…

* * *

"They're going to help bring Shuurei and Us together!?" exclaimed the Emperor with confusion when he read the second scroll his brother had held.

Seiran hoped his brother didn't recognize the flinch that crossed his face at the Imperial enthusiasm the invitation had triggered. He couldn't help but pity Ryuuki when the man before him would realize that Shuurei viewed the situation from an entirely contradictory horizon.

"They are concerned that you haven't been spending enough time together, what with the Imperial Responsibilities, the daily runnings of the palace…" hedged the silver-haired man; it wasn't a lie. One didn't lie to the Emperor.

But something about the situation seemed suspicious to the younger man as he looked over the invitation again.

"What do they mean by 'role-playing'?" he asked, reflecting a moment.

 _What indeed,_  wondered Seiran with some trepidation.

"Ah… for example, when children play 'House', -or 'Palace' in this case— " he clarified at his brother's confused expression, "a girl plays the mama and a boy plays the papa, and the younger children usually play their children,"  _or their pets or the stable horses_ , explained Seiran, remembering playing 'big brother' to Shuurei when she was young. The moment the words were out of his mouth, however, he realized his horrible mistake.

"Seiran!" yelled Ryuuki, leaping up to grab his brother tightly. Seiran really did wince this time at the force of his brother's emotional assault. "No, I mean, 'Big Brother'! You can really be Our Big Brother, and Shuurei can be Our Wife, and…"

Seiran was just in time to pull back and catch the look of wonder and hope that passed through his brother's eyes.

_Oh no, he's not…_

"Quick, to the Archives!" the young man bellowed, and in a flurry of violet robes dashed out of his private office, past his personal staff, to find…

" _Shouka-san! Shouka-san!"_

"Your Highness!" called Seiran, rushing after the mad Emperor. "Your Highness, we need to discuss this!"

But the younger man had already sped out of sight.

Seiran imagined the palace layout as fast as he could, trying to find the shortest distance between himself and his benefactor.

It was as he was passing a group of very young servants, probably only just inducted into the palace staff, that he realized with dread the next target on his brother's 'family' list to acquire.

From a short distance away (as he was very close to the Archives now), he heard a wildly enthusiastic Emperor declare proudly,  _"Shouka-san! You get to be the Grand-Papa-Shouka!"_

Seiran groaned.

…And rubbed his callous-roughened palm down his face when he heard the twittering of excitement from some of the female serving staff who'd been passing by the Archives.

_Not again…_

" _We're having children!"_  explained the Emperor at maximum volume.

There was a dramatic pause, and just as he'd expected, Seiran saw his brother rush out of the Archives and spin around to see him, only to exclaim, "Seiran! We need 'children'! Now! …Where's Shuurei?"

It was at that moment that Seiran realized Shuurei would probably kill him in his sleep that night.

The seasoned soldier smiled benignly and suggested to the Emperor that perhaps He should reply to the Sages' letter first and accept the invitation before inviting more people to play. Ryuuki's smile brightened to ten thousand lanterns' power, and he nodded vigorously.

A few minutes later, Seiran made sure he oversaw the reply his younger sibling wrote the Sages, and stood at his side in the Emperor's private office again.

"No, your Highness, you don't need to worry about sending out your own invitations yet to play 'Palace', let's focus on getting this reply back to the Grand Guardians first, and have a little practice before bringing Kouyuu and Shuuei in… Yes, I'm sure they'll want to join in, too… Yes, we'll find good roles for them to play… They'll be thrilled to play the tutor and babysitter for your children, yes…"

The reply to the Sages sent (high priority, at Ryuuki's insistence), Seiran vowed privately to speak to the other two men as soon as possible anyway, just in case the sneaky Emperor sent some kind of official missive to each of their colleagues commanding them to come play the 'dog' and the 'horse' for the Emperor's game of 'Palace'.

"Hmmm, what can we make Reishin?" wondered the Emperor aloud.

"Worry about that later, your Highness. Please," added Seiran, trying to get the nation's leader back on track with his work.

"A-ha!" he cried, coming to some kind of momentous private decision.

"Your Highness?..." Seiran really didn't think he wanted to hear this.

"We'll make Kijin the dungeon prisoner and Reishin can be the jailer. He'll like that."

Against his will, Seiran had to admit that at this moment, Reishin probably would enjoy that arrangement very much.

* * *

_Meanwhile, back at the Ministry of Finance's accounting stacks…_

"Shou-kun, the words will fall off the pages if you keep smacking the books around like that," remarked Kijin as he stood behind her and watched her slam another tome back into place on the shelf.

For her part, Shuurei startled at how close he'd come to her, and she realized she must have been making a tremendous noise with her tantrum if she hadn't heard him approach her to within that small distance.

"Ahahaha… I apologize…" she said in a gruff, embarrassed voice, her neck and ears burning in shame.

Behind his mask Kijin's eyebrows furrowed; the colourful plate hid his concern, however, and he passed by with a nod in her direction, accepting her apology. He returned to his desk, and kept his ear out for Shou-kun's movements for the rest of the afternoon.

He had to admit, she'd been quite diligent in her work since her discussion with Seiran. It would be perhaps in all their favour, however, if she did not terrify the rest of his employees while she was so worked up; her productivity had tripled, and her physical movement around the department had been erratic and rushed. It was like she'd ingested one too many pots of Lung Jin tea prior to a major exam.

When the book-slamming started up again an hour or so later, he rolled his eyes and glanced at the shadows growing outside. The work-day could officially end and they wouldn't be noticeably behind in anything important.

His underlings thanked him sincerely when he dismissed them a few minutes later, and they left in a bit more haste than usual in their effort to avoid the demonic work-horse hiding in the stacks at the rear of the department. Another book was jarred noisily into place, and the stool scraped angrily across the floor as Shou-kun moved to return the next book to its spot.

Hands tucked in the ornately woven caves of his sleeves, Kijin returned to the stacks once he'd locked the doors after his employees. In the late afternoon sunlight, he observed the complex emotions passing over 'Shou-kun's' face while the shadows grew at her feet. She was embarrassed, angry, confused, and perhaps worried or concerned. The tightness around her mouth, the pulling at the corners of her eyes, the dip in her eyebrows where they furrowed deeper and deeper; she was a ball of stress.

He watched as she dragged a stool closer, and stomped up to smack another book angrily in its proper sleeve on the shelves. Dust flew up from the impact causing Shuurei to sneeze and cough.

He smothered a chuckle—but it was too late.

Shou-kun wheeled around in surprise, and the stool tipped.

"Oh, I—wha?..  _Oops!_ "

She stumbled, the stool off-balance beneath her feet, and she threw out her arms to try and catch herself.

From behind her she felt him move quickly, just in time to catch her waist and hold her steady. He held her up as she scrambled to catch her footing, and she made a grab for the bookshelves in front of her, her feet still tripping as the stool shifted and swayed.

Carefully, he slid a foot between her legs and righted the stool with a gentle kick into place. He kept his foot on the stool to make sure it stayed put.

Shuurei's breath whooshed out of her in relief, and she felt her shoulders sag. She tilted her head forward to rest against the nearest shelf, one hand on the wall of books and scrolls in front of her, the other hand holding onto his at her waist to steady herself as she caught her breath.

"Thank you, Kijin-san," she said, and turned to look gratefully into his… mask's eyes, thereabouts. With the step's help, she was now eye-to-eye with him. She would have liked to have spoken directly to him; but she was accustomed to the mask now. It really was just another part of him. She noticed then how warm she felt, and realized he still had a leg between hers and his hand splayed comfortably at her waist.

Her waist that, if he were to move his hand just an inch or two lower, would flare out into very womanly hips.

 _Oh no!_  she thought in a sudden panic.  _He'll know I'm not a man…_

"Ah, thank you very much. I'll be more careful next time," she promised, and started to climb down as quickly as she dared.

Nodding, he removed his foot, but held gently onto her waist until she had both feet on the ground again, making her ever so slightly uneasy that he may have discovered her secret.

"Did you put the book away?" he asked, as if there was nothing awkward in the interaction at all for him.

Shuurei wondered briefly if he noticed how red she was getting; she could feel the heat seeping into her cheeks again as he 'stared' down at her.

"I…." the book lay on the floor at her feet.

"Are you all right?" he asked, and leaned forward towards her.

"Fine! I'm fine!" another nervous laugh and she'd bent down to collect the book in record time.

Shuurei reminded herself not to bite her lip like a 'woman', and whirled to face the bookshelves again rather than her rather nosy employer. "I'll just put this away right…."  _Oh no. Where did the book go again?_  She scanned the shelves and tried to remember where she'd been about to slide the book before she fell. She raised the book in one hand, and brought her other hand up to trace the titles of the books in front of her, mumbling the titles aloud to help orient herself under his steady examination.

"It goes right…" she kept scanning, deliberately focusing on the Dire Importance of Returning the Book to its Proper Place.

From behind her he approached softly, and gently took hold of her hand that held the book.

He either didn't notice, or ignored, the way her hand trembled as he gripped it delicately within his.

"Hmmm…" he murmured, the deep voice rumbling and sending shivers down her back where they touched.

Shuurei flushed again, and stared at the ground between her feet. This was far more close than she was used to being with a man. At night Ryuuki teased her rather than made her feel… intimate. He often acted more like a boy around her… whereas Kijin was definitely a man. A tall, imposing, competent man.

Her superior moved a half-inch closer, closing the distance between them to nothing. He trapped her between the bookstacks and himself.

Shuurei's breath caught in her throat as she felt the firm torso that pressed against her back, the soft hair that slid across her shoulders to tickle her face as he leaned forward and, still covering her hand, slid the book back into its correct spot on the shelves. She looked up and saw the wide, goldenrod silk sleeve pass her face on the right side, and as he pulled back it caressed her burning cheek with the barest of touches.

"There," he said softly. "That's where that fits. Just right." His breath was warm on her face as he spoke, and she realized he was looking down at her as he said it.

"Thank you," she stammered, and hunched her shoulders instinctively to avoid touching (potentially inappropriately). She didn't care at that moment whether it was what a man would do or not; but she felt it was what a lower-level clerk would do to provide their sempai all the room he needed to move freely.

He waited another moment, watching her speculatively, before moving back and giving her more room to breathe again. As Kijin straightened, he found the blush on 'Shou-kun's' cheeks amusing, and endearing.

"Will you be staying late tonight?" he asked casually.

And at that moment, Shuurei remembered exactly what had been so upsetting her all afternoon up until a few heart-palpitating moments prior.

Giving a small  _Eep!_ , her eyes widened and she glanced through the windows out to the gardens, gauging the time by the length of the shadows. If she didn't move soon, she'd be late!

"I'm sorry, Kijin-san, but I need to hurry… I have an appointment."

In a rush she scurried around him, straight to her desk to tidy up the last few papers she'd left there, and with a wave and a grateful, "Thank you, see you tomorrow!", she ran to the doors, undid the locks, and raced through in the direction of one of the old, unused storage areas. In her hurry she forgot to close the door behind her, and it stood open, letting in the last rays of the late afternoon sun.

He nodded to her as she left, and returned to his desk, pointedly ignoring the shadow that fell across the entranceway to his department for a split-second before moving on.

From the corridor, Seiran cast his shadow deliberately to be seen for once, and hoped its message came across clearly.

* * *

Shuurei really should have realized that if she was going to be a few minutes late, she might as well be hours late, because something more troubling was always going to come along to delay her if she gave it half a chance.

As she rounded a corner and was about to slip into the storage room she'd changed in that morning, someone tall but strong bumped into her sending her sprawling. Unfortunately, no one in ornate, yellow robes caught her this time and she cried out when her head struck the stone walkway.

"Mmmph," she mumbled, rubbing her head and getting up to her knees to look around. "I'm sorry, are you ok?" she asked, wincing at the pain in her back from the sudden impact.

"Ahhhh!" screamed the man who's run into her.

Shuurei backed up against the wall instinctively, glancing around. "Huh? What is it?"

"You!" he cried, and Shuurei finally got a good look at the man. Her heart dropped into her stomach.

"Your Highness," she laughed apologetically and ducked her head in penitence, hoping he didn't recognize her, "I'm so sorry, please forgive me this grievous error…" Dropping down to her knees to genuflect profusely, she nearly slammed her forehead into the ground in her hasty effort to avoid him getting a good look at her. Behind her eyes colours exploded, she felt herself sway, and her head ached and rushed. Ever so slowly, she started crawling backwards, away from him… "I apologise so sincerely, your Highness, may your humble servant crawl away without his dignity so that he may go pay his respects and beg your forgiveness at the gates of the palace."

"No, wait!" he cried again, and reached for her hand. He, too, was on his hands and knees now, one hand outstretched for her, and had she looked up, she would have seen the desperate look that tightened his eyes and mouth and made him look so vulnerable.

She cringed at his touch.  _Please don't cause a scene, please don't cause a scene, please don't cause a scene._

"Please, look up," he asked, holding her hand firmly in his.

As she did, she saw his look of wonder and confusion.

"Shuurei—no, I'm sorry… We've heard there's someone new helping in Advisor Kijin's department who is very young. It must be…  _you_."

His voice held a note of awe, and Shuurei wondered if he didn't recognize her. At first she was a bit insulted, but then confused, and finally, reluctantly obliged that she must look so terrible at the end of her day he didn't know it was his 'wife'.

"Would you mind?" he asked, and pulled her to standing. He tugged her after him and Shuurei realized he was heading for the storeroom she'd intended to use as her changeroom.

"Your Highness, surely you're far too busy to…"

"In here, quickly."

The Emperor glanced around the room's interior briefly before hauling her inside and sliding the door shut, locking it behind them.

"Sit down on the ground," he instructed in a commanding tone, and Shuurei did as she was told, too confused to make sense of the situation. There were still spots of colour and alternating darkness when she looked around, and she grimaced when she tried to shake her head clear, the pain renewing its efforts to fell her.

With a nod, the Emperor then sat beside her.

Then he took a quick look at her; Shuurei looked away to avoid his gaze. He squinted harder in the darkness, and Shuurei wished she could inch away under a rock.

"Hmmmm…. You'll do."

And then Ryuuki took her arm, put it around his middle, and promptly lay down to rest his head in her lap. Wriggling around a bit to get comfortable, he finally gave a content sigh and smiled.

"Now, tell Us a story the way a wife would tell her darling husband a story," he commanded. "A happy story."

 _He's playing 'House'_ , she realized distantly,  _in his own special way._  Was this what he did with his previous male companions at night?

And at the same time, realized,  _Great, she wasn't doing her 'wifely' duties well enough to keep his attention anymore, either._  Her reputation was shot and the rumours were going to start anew… She wondered if there was any way to improve her situation in the palace anymore.

"We don't have much time," he said unhappily, and she could tell he was looking away from her, thinking of something or someone else. "But a happy story, please."

Shoulders shrugging away from her in tired acceptance, Shuurei thought a moment and then told the story of what had happened to some of the local children she used to teach when they played all day in the snow making a full village out of snowmen. The different expressions the children used, the way they'd worked together, the laughter and pranks they'd taken turns casting all wove together as she recounted the fun afternoon of the year prior.

Her hands wove into and through his hair to finger-comb and smooth his hair soothingly away from his face as she spoke. As the story went on, he relaxed, and finally seemed to drift into a peaceful doze.

"Your Highness," she whispered at the end. The man in her lap curled around her, snuggling closer. Shuurei glanced about, and knew she could not lose any more time… even if half the 'dinner party' was sleeping on her at that moment.

"I need to leave now, but I hope you have a good night," she said softly, close to his ear.

She shifted from beneath him and let herself out through the door, gathering her clothes before she left.

She paused at the doorway, one hand on the frame.

Guiltily, she looked back at the Emperor who slept on the cold storage room floor and felt herself cringe.

She couldn't leave him like  _that_.

Scrunching her eyes shut and knowing it was a bad idea, Shuurei slipped back inside, pulling the door to and changed as fast as she could. Her 'husband' didn't stir. Back in her courtly robes, she balled up her men's outfit trousers in a bundle.

Cautiously she approached him, and gently lifted his head up to squeeze the trouser-pillow underneath. Then, as quietly as she could she shook out the shirt and placed it over his torso to keep him warm.

Patting his head in goodbye, she nipped out the door and rushed to her suite to change into proper formal wear for the evening; if she happened to see Seiran on the way back to her rooms, she'd have to ask him to go wake and collect Ryuuki. It would be too obvious if she were to find him.

"Ok, let's run," she said to herself, and ignored decorum as she raced to her rooms.

The moment he heard her feet start their sprint, Ryuuki opened his eyes and stared thoughtfully out the doorway she had disappeared through.

He was completely confused.

"Shuurei," he murmured. So she was hiding something from him. She didn't trust him. She was working hard for someone else, now. She was sneaking around behind his back. She hid somewhere doing something, as a man, all day long and he had no knowledge of it. She really didn't love him, at least not the way he loved her. And if she didn't love him…

"Shuurei…" he repeated, over and over, his longing voice a little softer each time.

Seiran found him there some time later, still lying on the ground with the dusty work clothes over top of him.

"Your Majesty," sighed the older man, smiling sympathetically as he crouched before his master. "What's got into you? Aren't you going to go play 'House' now?" His light cajoling tone didn't stir the younger royal, though.

He reached out his hand and pulled Ryuuki up to sitting, steadying him with a strong grip on his shoulder.

"Big Brother, Seiran," said Ryuuki quietly, and then he looked up into his eyes and held his gaze. "You would tell me if Shuurei was… was…"

Clapping him on the back, Seiran put just enough force behind his brotherly wake-up tap to force Ryuuki to lean forward; from there, Seiran heaved him easily to his feet and dragged him out of the storeroom, draping an arm around his back to support him. At any other time in public view, they were seigneur and citizen; but at that moment, they were brothers. This was a time Ryuuki needed an older brother.

"Shuurei is already waiting for you in the Grand Guardians' tower," hinted Seiran. "I think it is best not to keep a lady waiting too long," he recommended carefully. "Especially in this particular circumstance…"

* * *

Sou Taifu stood proudly in the middle of the room, arms crossed at his chest, when Seiran brought Ryuuki to the door.

Now, the reason why the large imposing man was wearing a frilly apron, wig, and make-up to look like some kind of dread housewife was the question shared by the Emperor and ex-prince's collective mind.

"Ah, my Emperor," burst out the military man in a disturbing falsetto, and to Ryuuki's horror he saw the most ferocious swordsman in Saiunkoku rush towards him with a delicate prance. "Welcome home! What can Shuurei-chan do for you to help you relax tonight?"

While the Emperor began shrieking in terror, across the room Shuurei slumped forward dejectedly at a table and reached for the sake she'd covertly hidden in her robes to help her through the night. No one could blame her for wanting to numb her to this charade, she was sure of it. And who in heaven's name had furnished Sou Taifu with such disturbing wifely accents? It was beyond her.

She glanced at the two newest arrivals and waved wanly. Her expression was clear,  _"Welcome to Hell."_

Seiran eyed Shuurei's booze enviously, and knew it was going to be a long night.

_A little while later…_

"Now that you have enjoyed your meal," Shou Taishi held aloft his teacup and nodded his head to the frazzled Emperor and his sloshed Consort, "We believe it is appropriate to discuss how your marital affairs are progressing."

"What marital affairs?" hiccupped Shuurei, staring bleary-eyed at the Precepts.

"That sums it up unfortunately well," agreed her husband morosely.

"Oh dear," muttered Sou Taifu under his breath to Sa Enjun, "This is worse than we thought."

"Shhh!" Sa Enjun shushed his fellow Grand Advisor and with a curt wave cut off their conversation so Shou Taishi would be better heard.

"Then, we believe it is time for some intensive discussion and negotiation," declared the wiliest Precept with a wag of his finger.

"Oh nooooo…." Shuurei's head his the table with an audible  _thunk._ She stumbled as she tried to hide beneath it. "I'm not here anymooooore…"

"Shou Taishi, We believe this may not be the most advantageous  _learning time_ ," said Ryuuki, glancing at his 'wife' as she put her head down on her bench and tried to go to sleep. Sou Taifu leaned over and gave her shoulder a quick shake. "Oy," he said, "Wakey wakey." Ryuuki groaned internally at the large man's ineffective efforts.

"Nonsense! Now that you are both relaxed, it is the perfect time to talk about how your relationship as Emperor and Consort is progressing!"

"You just want to see if Shuurei will spill private, personal details while she's lost her inhibitions," the Emperor glared bitterly at the guileless men before him.

"Are you saying you think we're taking advantage of the situation?"

"One hundred percent. Now, We need to get Our 'wife' home to bed-."

"Excellent suggestion!" the Sages chorused enthusiastically.

"-before she vomits all over your floor."

A moment of reflective silence. The Emperor spoke very wise words indeed.

"How about we let her rest while we talk, your Highness."

There was no room to argue with Shou Taishi's tone as he steepled his fingers and looked at the young man. With a sigh, Ryuuki's shoulders went slack and he dropped back down onto the bench beside Shuurei again, and brought her head up into his lap to rest more comfortably. She curled into his warmth instinctively, and sighed a happy, bubbly sigh in her sleep.

He wove his fingers through her hair and automatically started fingers-combing it away from her face in a slow, calming motion.

"As you may know, Shuurei's time in the palace is coming to a close. We've patiently watched and waited, but you have shown no interest in any other woman but your beloved Consort."

"On the plus side, you have stopped showing an interest in men!"

Shou Taishi glared pointedly at Sou Taifu a moment before the brash man ducked his head in apology.

"Shuurei accepted the role of Consort due to the remuneration and set time frame," shot back Ryuuki, his hand resting now against her alcohol-blushed cheek where he could touch her soft breath. "We can't change the terms of her contract. It isn't what she wants."

"There are other ways of convincing her."

"Such as? Re-writing her contract? She'd fight it—she'd just walk out. She'd never speak to Us again. If she were to become an official, even then We think she'd put her duty ahead of her personal honour, gain, or happiness."

It was a tough pill for the Emperor to swallow, and his pride hurt for it, but he knew Shuurei was too independent to settle down with him as things stood. He was out of answers and ideas for the time being, and swallowed another cup of tea to distract himself from his miserable position.

"Then perhaps you need to come up with a way that, instead of stopping her from leaving, forces her to stay."

Amber eyes narrowed sharply at Sa Enjun who'd just spoken the quiet, dangerous words.

"Sa Enjun," said Ryuuki softly, an edge to his words, "What are you implying?"

"I think it is obvious, your Highness," said Shou Taishi, a knowing light in his eye.

"It isn't about giving her what she wants!" exploded Ryuuki, and beneath his careful ministrations Shuurei stirred but didn't wake. "She doesn't want a single thing—she wants to earn her fair due! And We would never do what We think you're suggesting."

"A child will settle any woman who dreams of 'earning her fair due'," Shou Taishi said, taking a sip of his tea and giving Ryuuki a cunning smile. "And you know well she'd be a wonderful mother. She would protect you, she would protect her children, your family at all costs."

"What you need to do, is romance her," added Sou Taifu. The Emperor was beginning to wonder if the other two had drugged the martial master that night; the man's enthusiasm for getting an heir to spoil was a bit too… determined for his liking.

"We're not listening," ground out Ryuuki as he started trying to pull his wife to a sitting position. It was time to leave.

The thought of having children with Shuurei lured and excited him, of course. It was something he'd dreamed about, very, very happily. But this discussion was most inappropriate. And he was beginning to feel an urge down below that suggested that the tea he'd drunk had been laced with 'natural stimulants' again. Curse the Grand Guardians! He'd be sleeping outside again that night.

Thoroughly uncomfortable and sorry for himself, he wrapped his arm around Shuurei's shoulder and brought her arm over his to hold her steady.

"Good evening," he said with finality.

"Showering her with gifts isn't going to win this one over; spending time with her, teaching her a new skill, valuing her attention, intelligence and care will."

"Make time to go see her wherever she is in the palace."

"Bring a lunch to her and ask her to join you in the gardens. She likes the cherry-blossoms!"

"Take her for an evening walk around the palace, explain the history of some of the stories and legends from the older wings!"

"Take her shopping for medical supplies for the city temples!"

"Oh, that's a good one, Sou Taifu!" They all clapped the big man on the back for that one.

If he'd had a hand free, Ryuuki would have been stuffing his fingers in his ears to block out the unsolicited advice. As it was, he had picked up his wife and carried her like a bride towards the door, determined to get out of there before things turned more… mechanical.

"And you can't simply give her little pecks on the cheek all the time!" yelled Sou Taifu suddenly in desperation. "You need to get a hold of her like this," he grabbed Sa Enjun against his will, "hold her close, back her up against a wall so she can't escape," Sa Enjun started protesting physically under the rough handling of his friend, "and stick your-."

" _That's bordering on assault!"_

"She won't fight you if you do it tonight-."

" _You're sick!"_

"We're just trying to tell you how things work! You've never fathered a child before!"

" _Neither have you!"_

"You understand where to put 'it', right?" broke in Sou Taifu again. He seemed to be taking the initiative with Ryuuki's Baby-Making Education at this point. "And you need to wait until she's stopped her cycle for a week or two, and then you take her out to the gardens, and when the moon is high in the sky, start talking about how much Imperial snakes like to explore warm dark caves, and—."

" _WOULD YOU STOP TRYING TO GIVE US AN INTERVENTION!?"_

With a final yell of exasperation, Ryuuki broke through the door and with a quick nod to Seiran who'd been waiting patiently outside they carried Shuurei as quickly as they could away from the Sages' residence tower before the weird old men broke out the 'visual aid pictures' and sex manuals.

Because he really,  _really_ didn't need to know what those old men kept around in terms of pornography.

"Brother… Seiran," gasped Ryuuki as they rushed down stairs and didn't slow down until they hit the main palace again. The two men paused, Shuurei resting in the older man's arms a moment while the younger caught his breath. Hand against the wall to steady himself Ryuuki gazed at his brother's patient, slightly amused face and wondered what to do.

"Your Highness," said Seiran, smiling, "You did the right thing." And it was true. Seiran was quite proud of him in that moment.

Ryuuki sighed, looked down at the ground, and rubbed his face with his hand.

"Really?"

"Mmm," he nodded.

"We forgot what Shuurei said about not drinking their tea," admitted the younger man awkwardly.

Seiran smothered a chuckle into his shoulder and saw the lingering, hungry look in his brother's eyes as he gazed longingly upon Shuurei's curling, trusting form. Even with the layer upon layer of formal silk robes, her hips and breasts cast pleasant curves for their male eyes to rest on.

"We'll settle Shuurei and you can stay in your own rooms tonight, your Highness. I'll bar the door from the outside. She'll be safe."

"Thank you."

Seiran walked the Emperor to his own room first, and after locking him inside carried Shuurei to her suites.

He snuck in through a hidden entrance, and carefully lay her down to sleep on her large, clean bed. Dully he noted the presence of the stacked furniture off to the side and remembered Shusui's words from earlier that day. How relieved Shuurei's attendant would be to learn Shuurei wasn't entertaining an affair, but was rather cross-dressing and working in intimate company with a top-ranking official to pay off an enormous presumed debt.

Deciding he'd need to word it better than that, and also seeing that Shuurei still hadn't come around at all to undress herself, Seiran carefully took off some of the outer robes, let down her hair, and removed some of her makeup with a jar of jasmine-scented cream he found in her toilette cabinet. She truly was too trusting.

With a chaste kiss goodnight to her forehead, he pulled up her blankets and tucked her in with the care of a parent.

"You need to be more aware of the men in your life, My Lady," he whispered in her ear when she stirred and settled again. "I would be happy to but know I can't watch out for you forever. Choose well, when the time comes."

Her room still shrouded in darkness, he slipped out the secret passage again and made his way home.

In her sleep, Shuurei tossed a bit at the confusing dreams of sunflower-coloured robes surrounding her and liquid amber eyes watching over her.

* * *

**TBC.**

AN: This chapter posted September 5th 2008.

AN: Thank you for reading!  
AN: This chapter is dedicated to  **SnowCharms** , who wrote the 50th review! (Thank you so much!) She didn't want a thank-you fic, so I tried to make this chapter extra long to make up for it.

AN: The scene between Shuurei & Kijin in the library was inspired by LJ user  **selfdestruct** 's wonderful fanart: selfdestruct. livejournal 17642. html (...This pic is a clue to where things may be going, btw, hee hee...) ;)

AN: And finally, a somewhat selfish request: How'd I do with this chapter? (Do you prefer long chaps or short chaps? Was this chapter boring or exciting?) Concrit in the reviews would really help me out (and get you faster updates), thank you! 8) (...Oy, this includes typos and other errors I may have missed—this was a rushed chapter. Please forgive me…)

* * *

**Chapter 10: Chapter 10**

* * *

**Sweetest Dreams Ch. 10**

AN: SaiMono belongs to its rightful copyright holders and owners. (I'm not among their ranks, sadly.)

* * *

Shuurei woke up to feel a cool, wet compress on her head, and extra blankets piled around her.

… which weren't very easy to dislodge when she realized she had a splitting headache and some minor nausea.

Scratch that—some rapidly worsening nausea.

"Shisui?" she called through her rusty, dry throat.

"Kourin?"

No one replied to her summons.

Shuurei sighed and tried to swallow, but it made her internal affectations even more precarious. There was still no reply a moment later, when she called again.

The morning was not starting well, and now it appeared she'd been abandoned, it seemed, by those who were there to serve her.

She must have made a heckuva mess in her sleep somewhere, to warrant that kind of evasion from her personal staff.

Groaning, Shuurei closed her eyes and counted to 10.

Then tried again.

Because now she had to pee, too.

"Shisui?... Kourinnnnnn!"

* * *

 

From their seats in the sitting room, the two women glared identically at an uncomfortable-looking ex-prince.

"We're very disappointed in you," announced Shisui, her arms folded across her chest.

"Hmph!" agreed her younger, dark-haired counterpart.

"We know Shuurei's up to something."

Seiran pretended he hadn't heard them, his gaze fixed casually on a spot on the wall between them.

"We know you know that something's going on, Seiran."

"Hmph!"

"And now you know we know you know something's going on, which means it won't be long before Shuurei knows-."  
"Fess up, soldier boy!"

Taken aback, Shisui glanced at Kourin, who blushed.

"Sorry, I got caught up in the moment."

Shisui gave her a pointed look, and turned her attention back to Seiran.

"So we think you should tell us right now."

"Before we go to his Highness."

The women glared at him anew, and Seiran understood the situation for what it was.

This was blackmail.

Behind him, Seiran heard the outer doors to the Consort's private suites slamming shut, the slats being bolted in place, locking him inside with the women.

Correction: This was organized, well-executed, pre-meditated blackmail.

A part of him readily admitted he was impressed with the ruse and execution. But still, this confrontation was very, very bad. For everyone involved.

Seiran held his head a moment, and wondered if he should recommend the pair of women to the Uringun's Torture and Interrogation unit…

Was there any way to make this encounter more uncomfortable? More delicate than it already was?

Seiran hadn't finished his thoughts when from the personal sleeping quarters of the consort came the sound of violent retching.

Yes, that would do it.

* * *

 

Minister Kijin looked up at the sound of the doors to his department opening again, but turned back to his work with faint disappointment a second later.

She still hadn't shown up yet.

A frown marred his beautiful face, concealed as it was.

Had Shuurei ever been late before?

Never.

If she was called away, even while running errands for him, she'd made sure to send a note.

Such strange behaviour, for one who was renowned for her diligence and integrity.

It was then he remembered the summons and her rushed exit the evening prior; and how her temper had made her blind to her surroundings, including when he'd approached her from behind to speak with her, and inadvertently startled her…

… causing her to fall into his arms, her warm, soft curves not hidden by the loose men's clothing she wore.

At that moment, Kijin had wanted to lean further down, to slide his mask up just enough to see if her slightly open lips felt as soft as they looked, if her mouth tasted as sweet as he'd suddenly imagined.

The urge had surprised him – while he'd teased Reishin about courting his niece in the past, it had mostly been in jest, to rile the other Minister.

But when faced with the opportunity to take such an advantage, to position himself as Shuurei's suitor… it had felt natural.

No, more than that.

It had felt… right.

Perhaps… Was this was something he should consider further? Not as a means to antagonize Reishin, but for personal, mutual, gain and dare he suggest it, satisfaction? He thought then of her enthusiasm, her smile, her quick wit and intelligence; her contributions to the department and ministry.

Yes, he realized, warming up to the potential, the benefits to them both would be substantially rewarding.

For the remainder of the morning, Kijin spent his time at his desk, his attention divided between his work, and other far more appealing pursuits.

* * *

 

**TBC.**

**AN: Last update Sept 2008? Ouch. *mortified cringe* I'm sorry, this one got away from me! Chapter 11 is mostly written, and will hopefully be up sooner rather than later. Not sure how often I'll be updating this story as a whole, but I'll try and get it finished. Apologies for delays!**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Chapter 11**

* * *

**Story Title: Sweetest Dreams**  
Author: Moor (or 'beyondthemoor' from LJ)  
Length: approx. 470 words  
Genre: General/Comedy/Romance/PWP  
Rating: I'll say T  
Fandom: Saiunkoku Monogatari  
Pairings: Shuurei x Kijin, Shuurei x Ryuuki.

**Disclaimer: I have no ownership of "Saiunkoku Monogatari".  
**

* * *

As an exiled prince, Seiran knew to extend caution when summoned to a lady's chambers – particularly those of an imperial consort. Especially when the emperor in question was his younger, more emotionally vulnerable, brother.

Shuurei, while she'd been raised in a noble home, did not extend the same caution to herself or her surroundings when she sent the rush note to the only person she trusted with her secret work-life. In fact, it could be said she was quite oblivious to the consequences of her actions, sometimes.

And oblivious to the resulting impact on her reputation should she ever be overheard by the rest of the palace staff.

"Seiran," she hissed quietly between her teeth as she peeked out of her apartment like a furtive mouse searching for the prowling cat, "I said get in here right now and take off your clothes!"

"My Lady," he pleaded with his hands raised patiently in front of him, as he too glanced around (less obviously) for possible eavesdroppers. "This is neither the time nor the place to be making strange requests. Perhaps I could find you Shisui or Kourin, to-."

"No!" she gasped, gripping the wooden doorway of her residence with white-knuckled fingers.

It would have been amusing to remark on the extent to which her eyes bugged out of her head and her face flushed multiple shades of red and purple – if she had not been so out of sorts already, and glaringly desperate. She didn't want her staff to know about her extracurricular activities. She didn't want  _anyone_  to know about it.

"Seiran, please give me your clothes. I need to go to work at the Ministry of Finance, and I can't go dressed as a woman!"

Ahhhhh…. Now her antics made more sense. Against his better judgment, the trusted retainer smiled and smothered a chuckle.

"I will go fetch you some men's clothes while you wait, my Lady."

Shuurei sagged against the doorframe with relief, nodding gratefully.

"In the meantime, may I make a suggestion?"

Brows furrowing, Shuurei glanced at him.

"While there may be other departments who would not take offence at a late-comer, there are limits when the late-comer arrives drenched in the scent of-."

"Fermented rice grain?"

His curt, professional nod was all the evidence she needed. She must really smell like a brewery if her best friend was remarking on it. How embarrassing.

"Shall I arrange a soak at the palace bathhouse?"

"Thank you—oh, and Seiran?" She waited for him to make eye contact again, bit her lip, and decided to charge on regardless of her insecurities. "Could you please do me one last favor?"

She held out a hand to him, beckoning him closer.

Somewhere, deep inside, he sensed this request would be the most troublesome one.

And he was right.

* * *

**TBC.**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Chapter 12**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

Shuurei tilted her head back against the side of the bath and sighed contentedly. Seiran would assist her. Definitely, he'd help her.

Yet, forty five minutes later, she was starting to worry.

"Seiran?"

The water was cooling; no one had even peeked their heads inside since she'd arrived.

While she'd requested absolute privacy, she'd been assuming that Seiran would be arriving back right away with her change of clothes after delivering her message to Kijin.

Of course she hadn't brought a change of clothes with her.

Some distance away she heard a soft clicking, and what may have been footsteps approaching.

A teeny chill swept through the room.

"Seiran?..."

It wasn't.

* * *

From behind his desk, Ryuuki listened impassively as Minister Kou relayed the progress that had been made on his audit.

"And so, we expect to have the results within the next week, and will have the full report ready within a fortnight."

The Emperor nodded and brought his hands together.

"We expected nothing less. Your diligence in ferreting out the cause of this matter is appreciated."

It was Kijin's turn to nod, and he bowed in deference.

When the tall advisor straightened, he tucked his hands in his billowing sleeves.

"We received the voluntary assistance of a former employee, in order to facilitate the investigation. His services and abilities loaned much to our inquiry. At the time of our full report, we will also propose the permanent hiring of this individual. His contributions and experience would greatly benefit the department of Finance, Your Highness. I have been very personally impressed with them."

Ryuuki's hands stilled.

He watched the councilor across from him carefully.

Such a proposal would obviously require imperial authorization; especially a hiring request for a department exiting such an intensive internal review. Moreso, both men were clear on this requirement, along with the fact that both already knew who this person truly was. Not to mention both already suspected the motivations and intentions of the other in relation to the mystery assistant.

There was only one reason Kijin would have brought it up in advance: He was staking a claim.

Ryuuki felt his chest tighten.

… and his sleeves slipped over his hands, which curled into tight, hard, white-knuckled fists.

* * *

He was ready to kick himself.

Seiran strode purposefully through the palace, slipping, whenever possible, innocuously through the hidden passageways and shortcuts he remembered exploring as a young child in order to locate the man he sought.

No one could have predicted it would be this difficult to avoid the servant staff and their gossip. Apparently there had been much talk through the night of the Emperor and Consort's recent activities, and as one of their closest associates—one privy to the goings-on of the most recent intervention—he was a prime target for their interrogations.

Really, the Uringun could stop headhunting mercenaries to handle interrogations and instead hire internally from the palace staff. It was obviously some kind of secret training they all underwent prior to taking their employment there.

Speaking of—

_There!_

Seiran caught sight of his quarry and slowed to a more relaxed pace.

"Minister Kou," he called out. "I have a message from—."

He jolted to a stop as he realized his brother was alongside the advisor.

But both men had already paused and turned to look at him.

Forget kicking, Seiran was ready to curse himself.

* * *

Kijin waited for the imperial guard to speak.

It appeared he was hesitant, though.

"Yes?" he prompted.

Seiran glanced towards and then bowed more formally towards the Emperor.

"I apologise, I hadn't realized you were already engaged in conversation. I will leave a message with your department. Please excuse me."

"You will continue," commanded the Emperor.

A quick glance in Kijin's direction again—who nodded—assured Seiran he would be avoiding food for the remainder of the day, his stomach was so tightly wound in knots.

"Of course."

He straightened and addressed (mostly) Kijin.

"Sir, I was asked to relay a message that your assistant, Shou, would be absent for the morning. He apologises for the delay in notifying you of this. He is unwell, but will return for the afternoon."

"Thank you," began Kijin, but was interrupted by the flurry of purple robes that shot past him.

"Your Highness—!"

"Dismissed. Excuse Us!"

The remaining pair watched him go, wordlessly.

As their esteemed leader nearly tipped over as he turned a corner too quickly, Seiran grimaced.

It took a moment before he realized Kijin was still at his side.

The masked man turned to face him again, and in a monotone, requested, "Could you please deliver my reply to Shou?"

Feeling even more trouble brewing, Seiran could only nod.

* * *

"Seiran?" Shuurei called again, more hesitantly, as she scanned the bathing chamber. Normally Seiran would knock and ensure it was safe to enter before daring to intrude.

Fabric rustled from behind the screen blocking the doorway, and Shuurei's eyes widened.

"Whoever you are, I demand you exit immediately upon order of the Imperial Consort!" she shouted, and prayed Shusui or Kourin heard her.

"Shuurei?"

"Your Highness!" Colour flooded Shuurei's cheeks as she ducked down in the water and turned her back towards the door.

"What are you doing here? It's mid-morning, did your meetings finish early?"

Shuurei glanced over her shoulder, and saw the Emperor's outline through the translucent paper screen, the hat with its dangling ornaments, his slumped shoulders, his hand reaching towards the screen, his fingers clearly outlined in shadow.

His head bowed forward and his voice was sad when he spoke.

"Is there something Shuurei is hiding from Us?"

Her throat went dry and Shuurei struggled to swallow her anxiety.

_He knew?_

"Does Shuurei need help? Is Shuurei in trouble? What happened that Shuurei is hiding secrets from Us? What can… he… do that We, the Emperor of all Saiunkoku, cannot?"

"I think this isn't the best time for conversation, your Highness," said Shuurei through her teeth. She sank lower in the water, and the chill sank into her skin. "Could I please have some privacy to complete my bath?"

"Do you need help?"

"No! I need my towel and my robe—which Kourin or Shusui can provide me!" she added before he could interject.

"They are occupied."

Her eyes narrowed. "What did You do?"

"Er… nothing. Permanent," he added, his shoulders hunching. "We can massage your shoulders."  
"No, thank you."

"Wash your hair?"

"No, thank you."

"Scrub your back?"

"Your Highness—"

"They're assisting with other matters," he said. Re-organizing Shuurei's hair ornaments and re-polishing her silver, to be exact, but she didn't need to know that at that exact moment.

Shuurei splashed in the bath in irritation. "I need to finish my bath and get ready!"

"Ready for what?" he asked, head perking up.

"Ah ha ha ha… My afternoon duties," Shuurei said, thinking quickly, but frustration edged her voice.

"Your afternoon duties are attending Us in Court and through the Palace."

"No, I have plans—that is, I… already had planned out my afternoon. Perhaps tomorrow?"

"We'll see you dressed in your formal robes as soon as you are ready. You will attend Us this afternoon, and every day until We decide otherwise. When you are ready to tell Us why you are keeping secrets from Us, We can discuss whatever you'd like."

Ryuuki spun on his heels and left, while Shuurei fumed and bit her cheek to keep from screaming.

Damnit, what had gotten into him? Furthermore, now how was she supposed to get to work?

… and where was Seiran? Now she had another message for him to deliver.

Shuurei's face fell into her hands with a light splash.

How was she going to make this all work?

* * *

AN: Slowly but surely, I will try and get to the end of this story! I sincerely apologize for the delays.

This chapter posted January 26, 2014.


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